


Naturals

by VictoriaWitch



Series: Naturals [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Awkward Romance, Competition, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Ninja, Rival Relationship, Rivalry, Romance, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:14:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22684561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VictoriaWitch/pseuds/VictoriaWitch
Summary: Naturals; that's what they were called. Individuals born with unmatched skill, just naturally gifted in the way of the ninja.After proving their efficiency as teammates through their childhood; Amaya Ajisaki, Itachi, and Shisui Uchiha are placed together as an Anbu squad. With Itachi leading their team, they seem indestructible.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi/Original Female Character(s), Uchiha Shisui/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Naturals [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1631821
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> The first book of this series, you'll be following the lives of the trio leading up to the unfortunate demise of Shisui and the slaughter of the Uchiha clan.
> 
> Theme song for the book; "Natural" by Imagine Dragons.

“You Uchiha boys sure know how to stress a girl out!” I placed my hands on top of the desk for support as I lifted myself on top. I crossed one leg over the other as they dangled from the side of the light, oak furniture.

“Aw, don’t tell me you’re tired from actually having to put in work,” Shisui teased, finally untying and removing his Anbu mask.

“Excuse yourself! I always put in work,” I slid my hands from my sides, moving them behind my back to allow me to recline on the desk.

“Is that what you call it?” He chuckled, dropping his mask on the surface next to me. I frowned at him, narrowing my indigo eyes on his form.

“Leave her be,” Itachi finally said, removing his mask as he joined us in the tiny office space.

“I was just teasing her,” Shisui claimed with a half frown, watching the younger of the pair. I leaned over to the side, pulling open one of the drawers and rummaging through it.

“Ah!” I smirked as my fingers traced over what I had been searching for. I grabbed two pieces of chocolate out that I kept hidden, flicking one piece to Itachi.

“What about me?” Shisui wined, watching as I undid the wrapping around the treat.

“Guess you shouldn’t have teased me,” I smirked as his face dropped. My smirk grew to a smile as I popped half of the piece of chocolate in my mouth, holding the other half between my lips. My tiny moment of bliss ended as the other half was suddenly snatched out of my mouth, soft flesh barely brushing against my lips. I brought my fist down on top of Shisui’s head blindly, reacting immediately to the feeling. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I asked as I finally opened my eyes to stare at him. He remained in front of me, a goofy smile plastered to his face even as he rubbed the spot I had hit.

“You never share with me.”

“So, you resort to thievery!?” Itachi chuckled, almost silently as he watched us. The behavior was typical for the two of us, even if it sometimes still managed to catch the other by surprise. Itachi pulled out the wooden chair that had been tucked under the desk, taking a seat in it. I shifted my eyes to the side to watch him, my face still turned towards Shisui. “Ugh,” I groaned as he pulled out a piece of paper and something to write with. “I’m not doing the report this time.”

“Aw, come on! You have the best handwriting!”

“ _He_ has the best handwriting,” I corrected, extending a finger to the Uchiha that had taken initiative on getting us to focus on our final task for the mission we had just finished.

“That’s fine, I’ll do it this time,” Itachi said casually, seeming intent on completing it himself to begin with.

“See, that’s why he’s my favorite,” I taunted to Shisui, watching as his lower lip puffed out in a pout.

“You didn’t even like him in the beginning.”

“I didn’t like you, either.” I crossed my arms over the gray vest covering my torso. I leaned back, now laying on the desk as I stared up at the dingy ceiling. “But you grew on me.”

“Persistence,” Shisui chuckled, moving behind Itachi to see what he was writing. I turned my head to look at the two boys, sucking my cheeks in slightly.

“Yes, _persistence_.”

“You were antisocial before you met me,” Shisui continued to tease, keeping his eyes down on the report being created.

“I was not.”

“You were a lot meaner, too.”

“I was not!” My pitched raised as I became more defensive. I rolled my head to the side, staring at the oldest member of our squad.

“You’re still mean,” Shisui grabbed Itachi by both shoulders, resting his chin on top of the boy’s head. “Isn’t she, Itachi?”

“I want no part in this,” he said flatly, doing his best to ignore us as he focused on his task. I narrowed my irises at him; it never ceased to amaze me at how a thirteen-year-old boy could be so mature. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, the Uchiha clan was notorious for being very serious. Sometimes it felt like Shisui was the only human one from the family, he tends to be much more friendly and playful. His Uchiha blood always came out strong during missions; his personality would take a 180 degree turn into one of the emotionless, take-no-shit ninjas.

“He’s just scared you’re going to lash out, but I know he agrees with me.”

“I’m not feeding you,” I growled out to Shisui, returning my attention to the dull ceiling.

“Aw, come on! That’s not fair!” Shisui wined, letting go of Itachi and moving around the desk. I craned my neck forward to watch him. Shisui had moved to position himself in front of me, standing at the side of the desk where my legs dangled off. He pouted at me, his dark eyes pleading me to take it back.

“No,” I grunted, dropping my head back down. “You keep picking on me, I’m not feeding you.”

“I only pick on you ‘cause you never share with me.” I sighed and sat up, sitting on the edge of the desk as I stared down the sixteen-year-old with disinterest.

“Is this really because I didn’t give you chocolate?”

“You always share with Itachi!” He pointed to our silent teammate, making him look up from the mission report.

“Again, I like him more.” Shisui frowned at me, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No, you don’t. I’m your _best_ friend.”

“Who gave you that idea?” I scoffed, mimicking his motions as I crossed my arms.

“You! You told me that.”

“I don’t recall such a thing,” I lied. Shisui was two years my senior, I met him when I was in the academy. I did my best to keep to myself; a lot of the other kids at the time enjoyed picking on me for being so much smaller than them. I knew I could fend for myself against them, but I didn’t want to cause any trouble in the formal setting. Shisui had approached me on the first day and tried to befriend me, but it took him a lot of time and effort to break through my defense. Itachi joined our little partnership not long after, and the three of us have been inseparable ever since. I wasn’t receptive of the younger Uchiha at first, but he grew on me as I got to see the little snippets of his childish side.

“Oh, time to eat!” Shisui derailed from our conversation as he saw Itachi rise from the chair; the finished report in hand.

“We have one stop before we can go to Amaya’s.”

“We do?”

“We do!” I gasped out, my face lighting up as I picked up on what Itachi was referring to.

~*~*~*~

“Elder brother! Amaya!” The raven-haired boy shrieked, jumping from the wooden deck and running towards us. I smiled as Itachi chuckled, Sasuke wrapping an arm around each of us. “I missed you!”

“I missed you, too,” Itachi said with sincerity as he placed a gentle hand on top of Sasuke’s head.

“Well, screw me, I guess,” Shisui mumbled from behind us. I chuckled lightly, shaking my head at his comment.

“Itachi, you’ve returned.” My face fell flat as Fugaku came outside, having heard Sasuke’s cries from inside. A tension fell around us, everyone caught in the uncomfortable static except for the oblivious child. “Amaya,” the Uchiha clan head said flatly, his face devoid of emotion as he looked at me for a fraction of a second.

“Fugaku,” I replied confidently, refusing to look away from him first.

“Shisui and I are going to have dinner with Amaya. I just wanted to let Sasuke know we returned.” Itachi quickly cut straight to the point, not wanting to make the encounter any more uncomfortable than it had already become. Fugaku had made it known quite some time ago that he was suspicious of me, which I could understand. I had no family, there was little to no information available on my clan; it was like I came from thin air. I didn’t mind his suspicions, but our already strained relationship turned sour as he became colder and began to shut out people. I didn’t hate the man by any means, but he certainly wasn’t someone I trusted entirely or wanted to be around. Fugaku silently scoffed at Itachi’s comment, returning his attention to me.

“Very well. Come home right after.”

“I’m not going to kidnap him.” I kept my dark blue eyes locked with the hardened, coal colored ones before me.

“I’m starving! So, we will catch you later!” Shisui laughed nervously, grabbing my upper arms as he spun my body around and started walking from the house. “Great to see you, Fugaku!”

“God, Amaya. Do you always have to try to challenge him?” Shisui asked as the three of us finally escaped the gaze of Itachi’s father.

“If he’d stop acting like I was going to tie his son up and lock him in a closet, sure!”

“You aren’t worried he’s going to just snap on you one day?”

“Oh please, I’m not scared of Fugaku. Or the rest of you,” I shifted my eyes back and forth at the two males I walked between.

“Are you scared of anything?”

“Spiders,” I answered without missing a beat. “And other multi-legged, crawling things.”

“You’re not scared of a man who can kill you with a _look_ , but you’re scared of a _spider_?” I shrugged casually at Itachi’s comment, Shisui remaining silent at the comparison. Shisui knew their clan’s Sharingan didn’t work on me, as he had tried once during a training session that got a little out of hand. We kept it between the two of us, especially as I had no way to explain it to him. No way I _wanted_ to explain to him.

~*~*~*~

“Alright!” I pulled the doors of the fridge open, inspecting the contents inside. “What do you boys want?”

“Ramen,” they answered in union. The same answer they always gave me.

“Could you two be any more predictable?”

“Your beef ramen is unmatched, we can’t help it,” Shisui chuckled as he took a seat at the table.

“After today, I’m not asking anymore. You’re just going to get whatever I make.”

“I’m sure we’ll never be disappointed,” Itachi said with a faint smile as he took a seat next to his cousin.

“Flatterers,” I mumbled under my breath as I began pulling out the materials I would need.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked as I watched Shisui, leaning against the stove as the noodles cooked. Shisui had his elbow propped on the table, his hand cupping the side of his jaw as he watched me cook in admiration.

“You’re so cute when you cook. It’s the only time you look like you don’t want to kill someone.” He gave me a wide grin as I pursed my lips together. The corner of Itachi’s mouth twitched as he withheld a smirk.

“I don’t always look like I want to kill someone.”

“Hmh,” the two said together, looking at each other from the corner of their eyes. I muttered something incoherent under my breath, turning back around to check if the noodles were finished. I had already made the broth, the beef was cooked and sitting in the liquid base to absorb extra flavor as I worked on the few final details of the meal.

“And, it’s done,” I said slowly as I carefully placed the egg on top, focused on making it look precise. I carried the two bowls over to the table, placing one in front of each boy. “Enjoy.”

“Why do you always put so much work into making it look nice?” Itachi asked as he looked down at the contents in the bowl.

“It makes me feel guilty for eating it,” Shisui added, also inspecting the meticulously decorated meal.

“Just eat the damn food,” I ordered as I sat across from them, supporting my body with my arms as I leaned back.

“You’re not going to eat?” Itachi looked at the empty spot on the table in front of me, one brow raised quizzically.

“No, I’m not hungry. I’ll get some later.”

“Amaya, you need to eat. I know you want to make sure we get enough, but if we’re still hungry we can find something at home.”

“Please, I’m not worried about if you two are full.” I wrinkled my nose at Itachi, knowing he was right. I did it at the end of every mission when I’d prepare dinner for them. Even if I was starving and felt like my stomach would devour itself, I’d make sure they were content first. I ate an exponentially smaller amount than either of them, which is why I’d always let them eat first. If they happened to eat it all, I’d make myself something small after they’d leave. Of course, Itachi had picked up on what I was doing a while ago and was adamant about making sure he and Shisui left enough for me to get later. “Any clues about our next mission?”

“We just got back, and you’re already worried about the next?” Shisui squinted at me, his lips puckered as he asked.

“You know I like staying busy.”

“Yeah but learn to enjoy the downtime! When do we every just get to hangout?”

“All the time,” Itachi and I said together. Shisui thought about it for a moment, his eyes drifting upwards as memories seemed to fill his head. He nodded as he brought his attention back to earth, quickly taking another bite of his ramen.

“Okay, fair,” he mumbled out with his mouth full.

~*~*~*~

“See ‘ya later, Itachi!” I closed the door to my apartment behind the boy, turning my attention to the larger body on my couch. “You!” I marched into the living room, taking a firm stand in front of the dark gray, U-shaped piece of furniture. “Time to go home, Shisui.”

“But I’m so comfy,” he pouted, his eyes still shut as his head rested on one of the black and red patterned pillows.

“I want to go to bed,” I replied, placing my hands on my waist. Shisui stuck his arm out, latching it around my hips and dragging me closer to him.

“Me too,” he whispered as my knees hit the couch.

“What are you doing?” I resisted his pull, remaining standing.

“Just lay down with me for a bit. Relax some.” I groaned reluctantly but laid down on the couch beside him. He guided my head to his chest, wrapping one arm around my shoulder as the other dropped on top of his stomach. “Why do you always act like you hate cuddling with me?”

“I don’t,” I whispered, scooting my body closer to his. I kept one arm tucked under myself while the other laid on his chest beside my head.

“Yes, you do. You always act like you don’t care about me. Or Itachi.”

“I do care, I just,” I sighed as I closed my eyes, accepting the comfort I felt laying with him. “I don’t know why I am the way I am.”

“You _love_ me,” he teased, peeping open one of his eyes to look at me.

“Of course, I do, idiot. You’re my best friend.” He didn’t say anything back, closing his previously opened eye and relaxing his head deeper into the pillow. I smirked as a soft snore rumbled in his chest a few minutes later. I relaxed against him, deciding to let my own body and mind rest.


	2. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi, Shisui, and Amaya go on a mission to recover a valuable scroll from an s-rank criminal. Shisui asks Amaya an important question.

I groaned lightly, the sound of someone shuffling around my kitchen faintly piercing my ears. I peered open my eyes, bracing for the sting of the morning sun’s rays. A tiny smile tugged the corner of my lips as I saw Shisui still fast asleep, neither of us having moved from the couch. “ _Someone else is here_ ,” My eyes sprung open as the realization sank in. If Shisui was asleep, who was in my house? Common sense filled my mind, settling my nerves immediately. “Good morning, Uchiha,” I called out quietly, doing my best not to wake the still sleeping Uchiha under me. “Good morning, Amaya,” he called back, a soft sizzling sound following behind his greeting. “ _Is this kid making breakfast?_ ” I asked myself mentally, squinting in consideration as I sniffed at the air. Eggs, burning toast. “Your toast is burning, kid.” Itachi made a quiet, disgruntled gasp as he noticed the thin layer of smoke coming from the toaster. I chuckled under my breath, I knew he was a perfectionist and would continue to cook until everything turned out _just_ the way he wanted. I tried to move to get up to help the younger member, but a hand tightened around me. “Just stay still a bit long,” Shisui tiredly mumbled out, his lips barely moving.

“Look, you got all the affection I’m capable of for one day. Be happy with that.” He let out an inaudible sigh and retracted his arm from my shoulders, allowing me to get up. Truthfully, I had been beyond comfortable and could have laid there with him for hours on end; but he knew I was much more reserved about showing my softer side in front of others. Even in front of Itachi. He had been part of our misfit team for seven years, but I still had reservations about expressing emotions of vulnerability in front of him. Shisui was the only person alive to truly see beyond the ‘Devil girl’s’ hardened exterior. I strolled past the little kitchen, heading towards the hallway that lead to the two bedrooms. I lived alone, making the second bedroom a storage area for my Anbu gear and various weapons I collected. “Please, don’t burn down my house,” I called to Itachi before I got too far away. “You’re burning the toast, again.” I heard Shisui chuckle as Itachi whispered to himself in agony.

“Alright, so what’s the mission today?” Shisui asked as he took a bite of his breakfast, turning his energized orbs to our squad leader.

“Today is much more serious, I’ll need the absolute best from both of you,” Itachi shifted his eyes between Shisui and I, confirming we understood what he was implying before continuing.

“When do I ever disappoint?” I gave the boy a cocky grin, he frowned at me in return. “Come on, cap’, what is it?”

“We’re going on an s-rank this time.” Shisui’s face dropped as his serious persona kicked in, ready to get down to business. An approving smirk crawled cross my face; the two knew I loved the more dangerous missions. Despite being the leader of our team, Itachi would let me take the lead in S-rank missions. He would retain leadership through the division of our battle strategy, but I took lead of making his plan a reality. Few times our plans had been foiled, forcing us to change our strategy as the fights unfolded, but it was never an issue for us. More of an inconvenience than anything.

“Well, spit it out, Uchiha. Don’t leave us guessing.” Itachi gave me a stoic expression, but I could read the slight ting of annoyance. I rarely called him by his first name, something that stung him. He believed we were close enough to be on a first-name basis, and he wasn’t wrong. I just enjoyed tormenting him; one of my guilty pleasures.

~*~*~*~

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Shisui whispered to me, watching as I started to scale the side of the building.

“ _Never_ ,” I thought, keeping my focus on the task at hand rather than acknowledging my teammate. Itachi and Shisui’s image faded as I approached the top of the building; keeping themselves hidden in the shadows below until I gave a signal for them. I stayed crouched below the wooden platform that circled the top of the building; placing a hand on the underside of the wood. “ _Two guards_ ,” I noted, sensing the vibration of their chakra through the deck as they patrolled around it. I dropped two kunai to the earth below, to alert my team of my findings. I crawled on the underside of the wood, peering over the lip of the platform from upside down. I looked both ways, sensing once more to locate the guards. They had ventured to the opposite side of the tower, giving me time to sneak into the building. I pulled myself up on top of the watchtower, smirking as I dropped my katana as I had the kunai. Normally, I would drop a shuriken to my partners to let them know the mission was green. They hated when I abandoned my sword; Shisui would always berate me about keeping a larger weapon on me, to help keep an opponent a safe distance away while in a fight. I preferred close combat, it felt more unpredictable to me. This situation felt like one where hand-to-hand would be the biggest factor; the office was too small to risk any ninjutsu or genjutsu attacks. 

“Who are you?” The man sitting at the desk asked, feeling me watching him from behind. I smirked from behind my mask, impressed he picked up on my presence so quickly.

“Well, I think that’s obvious.” I walked around from behind him, taking a firm stance in front of the desk he was hunched over. My smirk grew as his eyes widened, focused on the red horns attached to my mask.

“The Devil,” he whispered to himself.

“Clearly, I’m the bad guy.” My taunting waivered as I locked my eyes on our real target. “Always keep things you steal out on public display?” I walked over to the corner desk, inspecting the scroll that was carelessly placed on it. A hand wrapped around my wrist the second I reached for the item.

“I don’t think you understand who you’re messing with.” I chuckled as his henchmen arrived outside the large window I had crept in through.

“I don’t think you do, either.” Itachi and Shisui appeared behind the security ninjas, their faces obstructed by their masks. “Handle those two for me, will ‘ya? I’ve got big boy here.” The two ninja who arrived to handle me turned around, realizing I was communicating to someone else. The Uchihas’ wasted no time getting into battle mode; it was go time. The man returned his attention to me, his crimson eyes boring a hole through me. I tilted my head as I smiled at him under my mask, twisting my wrist out of his grasp with ease. He immediately crouches, positioning himself for a taijutsu battle. “ _Oh, just what I wanted,_ ” I snickered and mimicked his motion, bringing my hands in front of my body. “Come on,” I carefully moved around him, our circling small and extremely close in the tight quarters. “I’ll let you have the first shot,” I goaded, wanting him to strike first. I groaned out breathlessly as a fist connected with the center of my stomach, catching me off guard. His reactions were quick and difficult to predict; I didn’t even see him cock his arm back. Of course, he wouldn’t be in the Bingo Book if he wasn’t something of a rare breed. Inosuke Tanaka; wanted for stealing and bartering inside information on the different villages, murder, and stealing rare and valuable scrolls. He was known to be ruthless, loving to taunt his opponents to throw them off during battle. My favorite kind of villain.

“You’re just a child,” he stated flatly, still maintaining his defensive stance.

“You’re just a slow, old man. You tellin’ me that’s all you got?” His lip curled some, he wasn’t used to being taunted. That was his niche. “There we go,” I chuckled, jerking my head to the side as his fist swung past. I wrapped my hands around his forearm, drawing him closer and drilling a knee into his lower stomach. I released him and stepped back, once again going for the scroll. He recovered the instant he saw me go for his possession, slamming his fist into my back while simultaneously kicking my legs from out under me. I brought my forearms in front of my face, shielding my mask from damage. I rolled to the side as my body collided with the floor, avoiding the kick he would have sent into the back of my head. I shifted my eyes to the splintered wood on the floor; the material unable to withstand the force behind his attack. I threw my hands above my head as I rolled my hips up, using the momentum and power from my core to throw my body upright.

“I will not be disrespected by a _child_ ,” he hissed at me, watching as I shifted right back into attack mode.

“It’s going to be a rough day for you, man.” I lazily threw a fist in his direction, putting enough speed behind it to get a decent sense of his offensive skills. He caught my fist without batting at eye, a sinister smirk growing on his face.

“I expected more.”

“’Ya know, I was thinking the same thing.” I rocked a leg into the center of his spine, sending his body forward. He growled as the shadow clone evaporated into a puff of smoke underneath him. I moved from around the side of the desk, stepping into the middle of the room with him. He narrowed his eyes on me, his plum-colored hair falling in front of his face as his head dropped low with his glare. “Oh,” I cooed as I noticed the darkness clouding his eyes, “Are we finally getting serious?” He launched out of his spot, focusing his chakra in his feet to enhance his speed. Inosuke began throwing rapid attacks, particularly aiming for my Anbu mask; he wanted to see who he was dealing with. I continued to block his attacks, letting hit fists fall into the palms of my hand or using my arm guards to block. I growled as his shifted his chakra to his arms, trying to once again enhance his power over me. “No chakra today, Tanaka.” I carefully moved my hands with his. As his fist would connect with one of my palms, my other hand would come to his arm and jab; focused on specific areas. I moved with fluidity, the criminal unable to notice my strategy against him. He suddenly stopped as he realized the power behind his blows had faded. I held up my middle and index finger, making a jabbing motion in the air with them. “Pressure points.” A rumble vibrated from the back of his throat, growing tired of a fight that seemed to be going nowhere, but in circles. I shifted my eyes, noticing the little desk the scroll sat on was directly behind me. “Come on, don’t tell me you’re going to let a fourteen-year-old, little girl beat you. That’s just sad.” I crossed my arms over my chest, looking my opponent from head to toe. “I really expected something more formidable. But I guess that’s what happens when lesser ninja hype up a petty thief.” I smirked as I saw his temple throb, his anger building with every mental stab I took at him. “I mean, you’re struggling to fight someone who hasn’t even used an ounce of chakra! How useless do you hav-“ he cut me off by sending a fist into the center of my face. “ _Damnit_ ,” I thought as light cracked through my mask. My body slammed into the desk, at least making part of my plan successful. I reach back and snatched the scroll, chucking it out the window as my mask fell to the floor, “Grab it!” I saw a quick flash of black and gray as one of my teammates recovered the scroll. I looked down at my mask on the floor, frowning at the two halves. I had a plain white mask with red, Devil horns and a red, jagged smile at the mouth. “I really liked that,” I pouted, turning my dark blue eyes to Inosuke.

“Amaya Ajisaki, I’ve heard about you.”

“Hasn’t everyone?” I chucked, crossing my arms over my chest as I raised my chin. “You know, I can’t let you live now. You saw my face.”

“I’d love to see you try to take me out,” he laughed, his confidence growing as his laugh deepened at the sentiment of his comment.

“I don’t have much of a choice.” His amusement ended as he noticed my cocky, taunting aura dropped. My voice was cold, devoid of any human emotion. I charged at him, finally taking initiative to make a defensive move against him. He made a loud grunt as his back crashed into the wall; my punch focused on the center of his chest.

“If that’s all you have,” he chuckled as a pain stung in the area, “you’re not going to have to worry about being caught. You’ll be dead.”

I stood in the center of the room, bloodied and bruised from all the hits I had taken. His nose was broken, I knew at least the left side of his jaw had fractured, and I broke three of his ribs. He stumbled at me, the effects of my earlier attack finally setting in. “What the hell did you do to me?” Inosuke’s eyes seemed dull, his life force draining with his strength. I walked up to him, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him down into his office chair. He swung at me but missed by a mile; his vision faltering.

“You’re dying. Your skin is clammy and pale, your heart rate is erratic, you’re losing your sight. When I punched you in the chest, it was a distraction,” I held up my index finger close to his face, allowing him time to focus his gaze on the long, pointed nail I was showcasing. “I poisoned you. It’s not my favorite method to do this, but when it’s necessary I do what I must.” Inosuke pulled his face away from my hand, letting the back of his head rest against the chair. “It’s going to become much more painful as the poison continues to flood your bloodstream. I can make this less agonizing, if you so choose.” As much as I loved fighting, capturing bounties, and causing needed chaos, I hated taking a life. I knew it would happen from time to time, it was a given with the line of work we were in. Inosuke let out a line of violent coughs, a stream of blood dripping from the center of his lips as he dropped his hand from in front of his mouth. He nodded his head the best he could, agreeing to my proposal. My katan slid across the floor, hitting the heels of my shoes as it stopped. I looked over to see a still masked Itachi standing at the window, nodding to me to confirm my choice. “You fought well. I enjoyed having you as an opponent,” I said before quickly sliding the katana through his flesh, piercing his heart and making his death immediate. I placed the sword back in its sheath before attaching it to my back once again. I walked a few feet away, picking up the two halves of my mask and tying them to my kunai pouches that hung on the backside of my hips. I carefully closed the eyes of the departed before following Itachi out.

~*~*~*~

“Why did you say we were the bad guys?” Shisui asked, breaking the silence that had engulphed our team for the past two hours.

“We’re all bad in someone’s story. To the people we’re sent after, we _are_ the bad guys. They don’t see us as peace makers, as ninjas trying to keep balance between villages, as protectors of the land we hail from. We’re the enemy, opponents sent to foil their plans and make their lives more difficult. Even if they know the truth of the situation, their perspective isn’t the same as ours.”

“I never considered that.”

“It puts things in a new light once you accept it. I don’t deny that there’s evil in this world, but I do question if the people committing these deeds know what they’re doing is wrong. I wonder if they’re like us; forced to carry the weight of their nation in claims on peace.”

“Do you think what we do is evil?” Itachi asked, deciding to participate in the philosophical rambling.

“Days like today make me second guess my opinion.”

“Think of how many people you haven’t killed. Sure, today was unfortunate. But, in terms of our bounties, we bring back a lot move living targets than other squads.”

“I suppose you’re right.” I switched my attention from the ground as a hand gripped my shoulder. Shisui smiled down at me, his mask pulled up enough for me to see most of his face.

“Of course, he is. You’re not a bad person, Amaya.” I smiled lightly, opening my mouth to impart my gratitude. “I mean, the only time you look happy is when you’re beating the shit out of someone. But you’re not a bad person!” My face fell flat at his comment, knocking his arm off my shoulder as I quickened my pace to walk beside Itachi instead. “What I say?” Itachi’s head fell forward, a soft sigh heard from behind his mask.

“Shut up, Shisui.”

~*~*~*~

“What do you think you’re doing?” I paused as I looked over my shoulder, the light from the open fridge illuminating half of my face.

“Getting ready to make dinner.”

“ _We_ will handle dinner,” Shisui claimed, stepping forward and closing the large, silver door. “You need to go shower; you’re still covered in blood.”

“With the way he,” I pointed to Itachi, “cooks breakfast, I don’t trust I’ll have a kitchen if you two make dinner.” Shisui chuckled, watching as Itachi’s concern turned to shame.

“I know how to cook,” Itachi retorted under his breath, his head angled away from me.

“Trust me!” Shisui drew-out, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as he escorted me out of the kitchen. “We’ve got this! Go get cleaned up.”

I stood in the shower with my arms crossed loosely around my stomach, just letting the hot water roll over my tensed body. I had managed to heal most of my wounds, not having sustained anything too serious. I could feel where one of my ribs were cracked, it would take a bit of time for that one to recover. It was oddly comforting to have the two boys cook for a change, even if I did doubt their ability to make anything edible. In all the years we had been together, they only ever assisted me in the kitchen. Neither tied to prepare a meal on their own. The first time I had seen either of the Uchiha’s cook was earlier in the day when Itachi burnt an entire loaf of bread. I reluctantly turned off the water, knowing I had spent far longer in the shower than any of us prepared for. I changed into a pair of navy blue, jogger style pants that were clearly too big for me. I tied the drawstring at the waist as tight as I could before tossing on a gray colored crop-top that flowed at the bottom, rather than clinging to my body. “Aw, don’t you look comf- wait. Are those my pants!?” I laughed as Shisui locked his eyes on the baggy sweats I sported.

“Do you even know how long ago you left these here?”

“Yes!” He and Itachi said in different tones, the younger sounding more annoyed than exasperate.

“I’ve had to listen to him complain for months about how he lost his favorite lounge pants.”

“They weren’t lost. You left them here and they’re quite comfortable, so I borrowed them.”

“Borrowing something implies returning it,” Shisui hissed, his dark eyes the size of pinholes.

“Then I stole them,” I replied with a smile. I looked around, not seeing any used dishes aside from what they had already used and cleaned to make the food with. “Did you two eat already?”

“We wanted to make sure _you_ got enough for once.”

“Ugh, I promise you I’m fine! I really don’t eat much.” Itachi lead me over to the table, forcing me to sit so he and Shisui could serve me. I grumbled under my breath, an agitated pout on my lips. Shisui quickly made a plate and set it in front of me. I smirked at the curry, pleasantly surprised at how delicious it looked.

“It looks good, doesn’t it?” Shisui asked with a proud grin, obviously the one who took lead over our dinner.

“Yeah, it’s the taste I’m worried about.”

“Just eat the damn food,” he teased, mocking me from the night before. I took a bite, doing my best to keep a neutral face. “ _Is there anything these two can’t do?_ ” It was perfect, easily surpassing any curry I had prior to this. “It is good!” He squealed, watching as the muscles in my face fought to keep my enjoyment hidden. “Come on! Say it, Amaya! Say it’s good!”

“It’s good,” I said in a low growl, keeping my focus on the food. His victory ended as I pushed the plate away from me.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m full,” I answered honestly.

“You took, like, five bites!”

“Yes, and now I’m full!”

“Damnit, you’re going to starve to death!” Itachi stood back with an amused grin, waiting for the chaos to ensue. Shisui dropped down to his knees, filling my spoon with food.

“What are you doing? Shisui! No!” I held my arm out to fight him off as he attacked me, determined to make me eat more.

“Take one more bite!”

“I’m full!”

“One more!”

“I can’t!” Shisui pushed harder against me, knocking us both onto the floor. “Oh god!” I pushed my palm into his face, trying to move him off the top of me. “Shisui, you fatass! Get off me!”

“Am I crushing you?” He teased, relaxing to force more of his weight on me.

“Yes! And I cracked a rib!”

“Amaya,” Itachi scolded, his smile fading as Shisui rushed to move away. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Shisui helped me sit up, worried he’d hurt me more.

“It’s just a crack. I wasn’t prepared to be suffocated to death!”

“No, why didn’t you tell us? You can’t go on missions until it heals. What if it got worse?” Shisui said, his eyes showing the hurt he felt from me not being honest with him about my injuries.

“It’ll only take me three days to heal it, I’ll be fine.”

“We could get another mission tomorrow!”

“Actually, we do have the weekend off,” Itachi cut in, simmering Shisui’s anger. “I requested off for all of us. It’s the Lantern Festival and Sasuke asked if we would all take him.”

~*~*~*~

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I said quietly, watching from the table as Shisui cleaned the kitchen. Itachi had already left for the evening, knowing he needed to get home. Shisui refused to leave, certain I’d end up doing something to worsen my injury. “I didn’t mean to make you mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you, Amaya.” He put the final plate on the drying rack, shutting off the water to the sink. He turned to face me, leaning against the cabinets that lined the front of the sink and counter space. “I just worry about you.”

“I know.”

“I _care_ about you.”

“I know,” I repeated, oblivious to the enunciation he put into his sentence. He chuckled, catching me off guard. He took a seat at the table across from me, smiling at my dumbfound expression.

“I have something I want to ask you.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you want to go to the festival with me?” I wrinkled my nose at him, absolutely lost.

“We are going to the festival, remember? With Itachi and Sasuke.”

“That’s not how I meant,” he laughed, almost unable to get through this without doing so. “I meant you go with me, as a date.”


	3. Relationships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaya has a hard time accepting the thought of Shisui having feelings for her. She seeks out relationship advice from the woman she considers to be the most true and pure.

_I smiled lightly as I came to the target practice area set up in the forest. Itachi stood in the center, kunai wedged between his fingers; lost somewhere in the dark space between his targets. “Hey, Uchiha,” I called out, trying to get his attention as to not scare him. My voice pulled him from his thoughts. He lowered his arm, dropping the kunai back into his bag before finally turning to face me. “Hey, Amaya.”_

_“You alright? You looked pretty out of it.”_

_“Yes, I’m just thinking.”_

_“I gathered as much,” I snickered. “ What were you thinking about?” _

_“Relationships,” he answered honestly. I was taken by surprise, Itachi never struck me as the one to be interested in such an affair._

_“They certainly can be a lot to manage. What about them is bothering you?”_

_“I just don’t understand them. You know Izumi, right?”_

_“Of course, we’ve met a few times.”_

_“Every time some adults see us, they make a comment about us flirting or being a cute couple.” I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress the laugh building in my throat. Itachi kept a hard face, but his uncertainty of the situation between them was clear as day. “But we’re not a couple. I don’t think we are.” I sat down in the grass, looking around the area I had first met the prodigy._

_“You know, I actually have the same issue with Shisui.” He frowned down at me in disbelief before taking a seat beside me._

_“You and Shisui aren’t a couple?”_

_“No,” I laughed, the young Uchiha proving the point I was about to make. “Shisui is my best friend. There’s no one on Earth I trust more than him. Since we’re so close, we’re with each other a lot of time. Almost all the time, really.”_

_“But he sleeps over at your house. I’ve seen you two holding hands and sleeping together.”_

_“I repeat, he’s my best friend. You can do all those things without it having any romantic implications behind it.”_

_“So, because Izumi and I are so close, people think we’re a couple?”_

_“Yes. You’re both also adorable and would make a cute pair. But it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. The important thing is how you feel.” I took my eyes off the green treetops, turning my attention to Itachi. He was already staring back at me. “What do you want?” Itachi turned his onyx stare from me, looking at the grass below him._

_“I’m not sure.”_

_“You have plenty of time to figure it out, you’re only twelve.”_

_“What about you?” His eyes met mine, his pupils digging deep in my soul for an answer. “What do you want?”_

_“That’s a topic for another day,” I chuckled, breaking our visual connection as I stood back up._

~*~*~*~

“A date?”

“Yeah! We would still go with Itachi and Sasuke, but you and I could go off and do our own thing, too.”

“Oh, Shisui,” I gave him an apologetic smile. He held his hand up, signaling I didn’t need to explain. I ignored his protests, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. “You’re my best friend, Shisui. Maybe if we weren’t so close my answer would be different. But I can’t risk things not working out between us. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I ever lost you. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, I get it. There’s no need to be sorry,” he gave me a sweet smile, extending his hand across the table to grab mine. “But you don’t ever need to worry about losing me, Amaya. I’ll always be here for you.” I smiled back at him, returning the grip to his hand as I gently squeezed.

“You better be.” I glanced at the clock behind him, “You also better be getting home, it’s late.”

“Let me stay the night?”

“You just asked me out on a date, do you really think I want to cuddle you?”

“Kind of.”

“Sleep on the damn couch!”

~*~*~*~ 

“Good morning, Amaya! Looking for the boys?”

“Good morning, Mikoto.” I gave her a faint smile. “Yes, I couldn’t find them out back.”

“They went to go get Shisui. You can wait here for them, if you’d like!”

“Actually, I better go find them. Shisui is still asleep at my house.” My nostrils flared as I saw her smirk. “We’re still not dating, Mikoto.”

“What a shame. You two are so cute together.”

“Please, don’t do this to me,” I begged, my head dropped to the floor. She frowned at me, normally her playful teasing never bothered me, and I’d joke right along with her.

“What’s wrong, dear?” She motioned for me to come to her. I walked over, leaning against the stove next to her. She immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer.

“Well, Shisui asked me to go on a date with him.”

“Why does that seem like it was a bad thing?”

“He’s my closest friend. What if it didn’t work out?”

“Well, so what if it didn’t? That doesn’t change the bond you have. It just means it’s not a bond that’s supposed to be romantic.” I looked up at her, the fragment of a pout on my face.

“Is it that easy to get past?”

“Not all the time. But it depends on how you decide to handle it.” Mikoto paused, smiling to Fugaku as he walked past the kitchen. My facial expression dropped, matching the stale one Fugaku wore as he saw me. She ignored our unspoken battle, returning to imparting her wisdom of love and friendship instead. “Unless the issue is someone else has your attention.” The bubble of acceptance brough her face down closer to mine, lowering her voice, “Itachi is quite handsome, isn’t he?”

“I was wrong about you,” I grumbled, turning my head from her as my face warmed under her ribbing stare.

“Don’t think too much of it all,” she giggled. “You’re young, you have more than enough time to figure it out.”

~*~*~*~

“Amaya!” Sasuke yelled, letting go of Itachi’s hand so he could run to me. I giggled as he wrapped his arms around me, immediately bending down to return the embrace. I bit my lip as I looked ahead, a sharp sting from the cracked rib racking through me. I rode the pain out until the boy decided to let go, never trying to pull away before he did. Sasuke was the only person I’d allow myself to be vulnerable around consistently, he was so sweet and innocent. I loved him as if he were my own brother. “Itachi said you’re going to the festival with us!” Sasuke beamed up at me, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Yes, I am! Are you excited?”

“Yeah! But I’m worried about Shisui. He wasn’t home. I want to make sure he’s going.”

“I bet I know where we can find him.”

“Shisui!” Sasuke yipped, jumping on top of the sleeping ninja. Itachi and I snickered, watching from the kitchen.

“Oh god,” Shisui cried out breathlessly as Sasuke landed on his stomach.

“Shisui! We’re going to the festival tonight! You’re going to come with us, right!?”

“Yeah, of course,” he chuckled, glaring at Itachi and I from over the top of Sasuke’s spiked hair. Itachi looked away as if he had no idea what had happened, uninvolved in our tiny attack on him. I waved unashamedly at him; a wide grin spread across my face. “You’re dead,” he mouthed to me. I shrugged my shoulders lightly, unphased at his threat. After all, it wasn’t the first time he’d said that to me, and I was still standing.

“Amaya, do you know what you’re going to wear tonight?” Itachi asked as the four of us made our way back to the Uchiha compound.

“I think so.”

“Don’t own anything nice, do you?” Shisui teased. “Too busy stealing _other_ people’s clothes.”

“First, rude. Second, you’re never getting them back. Accept it.”

“Itachi, are you going to dress up with me!?” Sasuke looked up to Itachi for confirmation, his large eyes pleading his older brother.

“Of course, I am, Sasuke. We all are.”

“Do I get a say in this?” Shisui asked, looking over at Itachi and I.

“No,” we answered together.

“Mom! We’re home! We found Amaya and Shisui!” Sasuke darted into the house, searching for Mikoto. I giggled as he vanished, unable to not smile at his simple excitement.

“Amaya,” Itachi, Shisui, and I stiffened at Fugaku’s voice. I turned around to face the esteemed head of the Police Force.

“Yes?”

“I heard about your latest mission.”

“Oh?”

“It’s said you took down Inosuke Tanaka.”

“That’s correct.”

“Good work,” he said with the most minute trace of pride before moving about his day.

“T-Thank you,” I called quietly, unsure of what had just happened.

“Did they just have an actual conversation?” Shisui whispered to Itachi.

“Their version of one, it would seem.” I continued to stand there dumbfound. It had been about two years since Fugaku and I truly acknowledged the other. Why was he suddenly interested? We had been on plenty of missions where we took down someone of Inosuke’s caliber.

“I feel like I need to go wash my eyes. Like, I just witnessed something wrong.”

“Shut up, Shisui,” Itachi and I sighed in the same unamused manner.

~*~*~*~

I spent the rest of the day at the Uchiha compound with my little group of lady-killers, only deciding to leave to get ready for the festival. It was a few hours away, and I wanted to try to heal myself more before I needed to get dressed and prepare to go out. “ _It already feels so much better,_ ” I bent around, applying some pressure to the area my cracked rib was in. There was a dull pain, but nothing I couldn’t easily grit my teeth through. My ears perked as I heard someone’s feet shuffle to a stop outside the door of my apartment. I slid off the couch and opened the door just as my visitor was about to knock on the door.

“Ah, Amaya. Good to see you’re home.”

“Hey, Kakashi. Come on in,” I opened the door more, moving to the side for the older Anbu member to enter. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“I was asked to stop by to give you some information. Your mask has been repaired; it can be picked up at your convenience.”

“Oh, excellent. I was worried they’d try to just give me a new one.”

“There’s no other mask befitting of Baby Satan.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me of _that_ nickname,” I rolled my eyes as I moved into the living room, motioning for the gray-haired man to follow.

“Are you attending the Lantern Festival tonight?” He stood in the doorway of the room, watching as I returned to my relaxed position on my couch.

“I am.”

“Going with the Uchihas’?”

“Naturally.”

“How’s your goal coming along?” I smirked at his question, having forgot I told him about my Anbu goals during a mission I assisted him with.

“I’m not sure yet. But don’t worry, I have full intention of taking Squad Captain from Itachi.”

“I thought the two of you were friends?”

“We are. Just call it friendly competition.”

“I feel like the two of you have always tied to one-up the other,” he chuckled lightly, recalling the training session he saw happen between Itachi and I. “He’s certainly a challenge to beat.”

“I’ll get him one day, I know it.” I grinned to the man, “He can’t be untouchable his whole life.”


	4. Lantern Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaya joins the three Uchiha boys to the Lantern Festival. Sasuke and Itachi try to be wing-men for their favorite cousin. Amaya considers Shisui's proposal.

_“_ Damnit, he’s fast,” _I thought as the dark-haired boy vanished into thin air. I whipped my hand through the air as I spun around, throwing shuriken out to deflect the kunai that came down on me like a summer rain. I pivoted around again, barely managing to catch Itachi’s fist in my hand. We narrowed our stares at the other, neither impressed with how the other was holding up in our duel. Itachi wanted me to go down easier than I was showing I would. I wanted the Uchiha to submit, giving me a solid win over him. I dropped his hand and swung mine at him. He dodged the attack with ease, kicking a leg out at me with lightning reflexes._ “Damnit,” _I growled to myself as my stomach caught his attack, shooting me backwards. I dug my heels into the ground, catching myself before getting too far away from him. I growled lightly, focusing some chakra to my feet to make my charge at Itachi faster. Shisui made a buzzer sound from off to the side, throwing his arms in the air in an ‘x’ formation; forcing me to stop._

_“Disqualified! You used your chakra to enhance your speed!”_

_“Damnit, Shisui!” I glared over at him, my hands shooting to my hips._

_“I can’t just let you cheat! There were rules.”_

_“I thought you were honorable,” Itachi snickered, unable to keep a straight face through his jab._

_“I don’t care if it takes me my entire life, I will beat you one day.”_

_“I have faith in you.”_

_~*~*~*~_

I shifted uncomfortably as I waited for my three boys to show up. I was dressed in a short, black kimono that was patterned with red hydrangeas. I wore a pair of thigh-high black socks and regular black sandals that had red straps. I left my long, platinum blonde hair down; not sure what to do with it. “Amaya!” Sasuke yelled, quickly coming into view with Itachi and Shisui hot on his trail. Sasuke had on a navy colored kimono with the Uchiha crest on the back. Itachi and Shisui wore a similar kimono, but theirs was black. I smiled and crouched down to hug the seven-year-old, “You look adorable, Sasuke.”

“Itachi picked it out for me!”

“I guess he has good taste, huh?”

“Yeah! He’s the best!” I giggled and lightly ruffled his hair before standing up to greet the other two. “Nice to see you in something fancy for once,” I said to the both, a playful grin on my face.

“Yeah, I can say the same to you,” Shisui said, almost sounding out of breath as he looked me up and down. Sasuke kept my hand trapped with his as his eyes darted around, trying to find something to get into. I looked down at the child as he tugged the sleeve of my kimono, trying to get my attention while keeping his own focused on the game he wanted to play. I traced where his eyes were focused and giggled, “You want to go try it?”

“Yes!” Itachi smiled and stepped forward, holding his hand out to his little brother. Sasuke shook his head at him, “I’m holding Amaya’s hand this time.” I smirked at Itachi, triumph in my eyes over winning the affection of the young boy. Shisui grinned from the back, walking forward and squatting down next to Sasuke.

“Sasuke, do you mind if I hold her other hand?” Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Shisui, carefully considering his answer.

“Yeah, I guess.” Shisui smiled, patting the raven-haired boy on the head.

“Thanks.” Shisui snaked his hand in mine, smiling at me as he did. I narrowed my eyes at him, but ultimately accepted his actions and laced my fingers with his. Itachi took Sasuke’s other hand as we walked into the festival; Sasuke and I between the two prodigies.

“I’m going to win!” Shisui called out, taunting the other three of us as he continued to hit target after target. Itachi and I looked at each other from the corner of our eyes, silently devising a plan to take down the confident member. Itachi and I began rapidly shooting at Sasuke’s target, his score quickly advancing past Shisui’s and giving him the win. Sasuke squeaked as the buzzer went off above his station, ready to pick his prize. “Better luck next time,” I said to Shisui as I tapped his shoulder. Sasuke squeezed the light blue dinosaur plush. “Aw, you got a friend for your green one!” I exclaimed as I saw him with the toy.

“Sasuke loves his dinosaurs,” Itachi chuckled, watching as the innocent being before us continued to gush over his trophy. “Maybe we’ll let you win the next one, Shisui.”

“Doubtful,” he pouted.

“Come on, I know something we can try next,” I motioned for the group to follow me. We walked down three booths, coming to a ring-toss.

“Aw, no one ever wins these things!” Shisui cried, pointing to the glass bottles lined-up in the center of the booth.

“It’s worth a shot,” my attention was focused on the black bat plush hanging from the roof of the tent. Shisui and Itachi followed my intense stare, both chuckling as they noticed it.

“Oh!” Sasuke tugged on Itachi’s kimono to get his attention. He motioned for him to come closer as they locked eyes. Itachi bent down, so the boy could whisper to him. Itachi’s eyes shot up, a wonderfully scheming grin on his face.

“Let’s give this a shot,” Itachi announced, winking down to Sasuke.

“I feel like I don’t trust the two of you right now,” I mumbled, puckering my lips some.

“You shouldn’t,” Itachi answered back, smiling confidently at me. I looked over at Shisui who only shrugged in return; he was just as lost as I was.

“Damn,” I said under my breath as my last ring bounced off the top of the jug. Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke threw their last rings. One of them bumped into Shisui’s at just the right moment, knocking the red, plastic ring onto the neck of the bottle. I angled my chin towards my shoulder, biting at my cheek to conceal my satisfied grin as Shisui picked out the bat plush I had been so determined to get. He chuckled, watching me fight to keep a straight face as he held the gift out to me. “Thank you,” I mouthed to him, accepting the bat as he held it to me. Shisui smiled as he chuckled again, observing my reaction. I looked down at the unimaginably soft animal, my blue eyes lighting up in sheer joy despite my face remaining straight.

“You’re the best wing man,” Shisui said quietly to Sasuke, holding his fist out to the boy for them to knock knuckles. I shook my head at the three boys, the corners of my mouth tugging into a small smile.

“I got you boys something,” I announced as I approached them. The three sat on a bench, their prizes scattered across the ground in front of them. We had played at least seventy-five percent of the games at the festival, teaming up to make sure everyone got their favorite prize. Majority of them were for Sasuke, who was slowly becoming less energetic as the need for sleep started to consume him. I held out a small, paper plate to them; three sticks of dango presented before them. Itachi’s eyes widened in excitement as he wasted no time to grab one of the servings. Sasuke grabbed another, following Itachi’s lead. I hovered the remaining pieces in front of Shisui. His lips pursed together as he squinted at me, unsure if it was a trick. “I figured I could share with you.” Shisui immediately smiled, remembering how he had whined earlier in the week about me never sharing any of the sweets I got with him.

“Look at you, showing you care!” He goaded, going to grab the treat. I retracted the plate some, forcing him to freeze.

“Don’t make me take it back.” He snickered, grabbing the dango from me with a single, swift motion.

“Why aren’t you two a couple?” Sasuke asked innocently, making me choke on the piece of food I had just popped in my mouth. A satisfied grin took over Shisui’s face as Itachi simply turned his head the other way to hide his amusement. Did a kid just call me out? On my own relationship status!? 

“Shisui and I are just friends,” I coughed out, trying to regain composure and a steady air supply from the dango assaulting my throat.

“But why _aren’t_ we a couple?” Shisui prodded, smirking at me the entire time. He had never been more satisfied before.

“Because I’m mean, remember?”

“Why are you mean to Shisui?” Sasuke frowned at me, not approving of the comment.

“Because she likes him,” Itachi said, joining in to tease me.

“Itachi!” I shrieked, my eyes turning into saucers at his comment.

“I’ll be damned, she used your first name!” Shisui exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.

“Maybe there is a god,” Itachi laughed, now satisfied at his own mini victory of the night.

“Damn Uchiha’s,” I crossed my arms over my chest, turning my head from the group of men tormenting me.

“Come on, we should go get some lanterns. They’ll be getting ready to let them off soon,” Itachi stated with a smile, still satisfied with the way the night had unfolded.

“I think Amaya and Shisui should share one,” Sasuke giggled, still pushing for his cousin to get the girl.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Itachi smirked behind his eyes as he looked at me. Shisui and Sasuke gathered up the prizes they could and started walking. I used my free hand to grab Itachi’s ponytail, preventing him from following the other two members of his clan. He shifted his dark eyes back at me, shuffling backwards to come to my side as he realized I had no intention of letting go.

“What are you up to?” I hissed out quietly, my head pushed back at I shot daggers at him.

“Intervening,” he kept a straight face to match his simple and to-the-point answer.

“Why?” I growled, releasing his hair from my grip.

“You’re too scared to accept what should have happened a while ago.”

“That’s not fair. I never forced you to make a decision on Izumi.”

“I wasn’t as shy as you,” he chuckled. He pivoted to stand in front of me, rather than at my side. “You suck at expressing your feelings. I figured if I kept nudging you in the direction, I _know_ you want to go, it would make things easier on you.”

“What if I’m actually just not sure I like him that way?”

“If that’s truly the case, I’ll back off. But you have to tell me you only care about him as a friend.” We shared an intense stare for a minute, silently battling the truth between us. I dropped my head with a soft sigh, accepting another loss to the Uchiha heir. “That’s what I thought,” he chuckled. He looped his arm around mine, pulling me along with him as we tried to catch up to Shisui and Sasuke.

Itachi and Sasuke worked on their lantern a few feet away from Shisui and I; Itachi determined to give us time alone. I stood behind Shisui, watching as he assembled the base of the lantern. “Have you ever done this before?” Shisui asked, peering over his shoulder to look at me.

“Hm? Oh,” I registered his question a moment later, having been too lost in my own mind to respond right away. “No, I’ve never done this before. I’ve always left before they released the lanterns. I’d watch them from my room, but that’s as close as I ever got.”

“Wait, seriously?” He stood up, spinning his body around to face me.

“Yeah, why?” I made a quick, short, grumble-like noise from the back of my throat as he grabbed my hand.

“Let me show you.” I crouched down beside him, watching as he placed the candle in the center of the base. “We have to light it and then set the top on. You remember what I taught you?”

“You sure you want Itachi to see?” Shisui smiled over at Itachi, waving as their eyes met across the field.

“I’m sure he won’t mind.” I did the hand signs, withholding the amount of chakra I released in effort to control the size of the flame. I opened my mouth, a miniature version of the fireball jutsu that Itachi had so easily mastered coming out; lighting the wick of our candle. Shisui chuckled, patting me on the back, “I knew you could do it.”

“You’ve seen me do it before. _You_ taught it to me!”

“Yeah, I know. But it’s still interesting.” He reached over and grabbed the soft, cream colored top. He held it out in front of me, nodding his head from me to the lantern. I took it from him, only to have his hands cover mine as we placed the top on together. The four of us placed our lanterns in the water at the same time, watching as they floated toward the giant bundle of other lanterns that floated down the peaceful current. I turned my head to look up at Shisui. I smiled lightly and pushed myself onto my tiptoes, placing a delicate kiss on his cheek. He looked down at me in surprise, his fingers brushing over the area I had kissed. “Maybe we can give that date a try, sometime.” I maintained a calm exterior, my eyes gleaming up at him from behind my lashes.

“I’d like that,” he smiled; one of his ear-to-ear smiles that always warmed my heart.

~*~*~*~

“Itachi, where’d you run off to?” Shisui asked, carrying an unconscious Sasuke in his arms as we finally made our way to the festival exit.

“I ran into Kakashi. He was relaying information to me about our mission on Monday.”

“Okay, so spill it,” I said, shuffling the multitude of plushies in my arms.

“It’s another S-rank.” I smirked, ready to hear what kind of devious excitement we’d be getting into. “It’s an assassination.” My excitement fell, my face falling flat at the words. The kind of missions we hated the most; the ones where we were forced into taking a life.


	5. Rivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaya takes on the target of their next mission, alone and by surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to another original character.

“Who’s the target?” Shisui asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to disturb the sleeping child huddled in his arms.

“Ryker Karasu.”

“Karau. They’re the family of assassins for hire, right?” I asked, my eyes focused on the midnight sky alive with floating lanterns.

“Yes, it appears Ryker has gone rogue. He cut ties with his clan and has started collecting bounties under the table.”

“Brilliant.”

“So, what’s our game plan for this one?” Shisui queried, more likely referring to _who_ would be taking the target out. We would generally rotate who committed the dirty deed, so no one felt as though they had more blood on their hands than the others. It was supposed to be my turn, but I knew an argument would ensue over this as I had to end a life during our last mission.

“I’ll handle it,” Itachi said coldly, keeping his dulled eyes ahead.

“I’ve got it,” I said confidently, rebutting Itachi’s claim to the life.

“You just took a life; it should fall to the next person.”

“That’s not how his works. We designed this rotation specifically for assassinations. It’s my turn, I’ll take it.”

“Are you sure?” Shisui’s voice laced with concern, a sad sweetness in his onyx stare.

“Of course. Besides, it doesn’t bother me _as_ much as it bothers the two of you.” Itachi’s mouth pulled into a miniscule frown as I lied through my teeth, donning a plastic smirk on my face. It bothered me just as much as it did them. Before joining the Anbu, I had never taken a life. I did everything in my power to end a fight without ending a life.

~*~*~*~

I sat down on the long, wooden bench, inspecting the repaired mask in my hands. I had traveled straight to the Anbu headquarters following the festival. I was eager to see how the repairs to my mask turned out; I didn’t want something that looked janky. The tips of my fingers lightly graced the eggshell mask, unable to feel where it had previously been cracked. “Here’s to being the Devil,” I sarcastically cheered to myself, holding the mask in the air as if it were a celebratory drink.

“Already tired of your nickname?” Kakashi leaned against one of the lockers, only standing about five feet from me. I eyed him quickly, automatically suspicious of his appearance. He wore a cerulean kimono with navy patterns stitched in vertical lines.

“What are you doing here so late?”

“I had some report to finish. I may have stayed at the festival too long.” Clever lie. Kakashi was notorious for procrastinating when it came to his reports, but I knew from our conversation earlier in the night that he wasn’t going to the festival this year.

“Yes, you did seem to be enjoying yourself,” I affirmed the falsities, not wanting to let the suspicious character know I was already on to them. I stood up from my seated position and opened my locker, grabbing out the remainder of my gear.

“What are you doing here?” The pretender moved closer to me, taking a seat on the bench I had previously occupied.

“Picking up my mask, like you told me to.” My hand graced the katana hanging inside the metal locker, finally pulling it out. I held it in front of me, rotating it elegantly in my grasp to act as if I was studying the weapon. I kept the weapon in hand as I gathered the rest of my gear, keeping a slate expression the entire time. “I think I’d best I made myself scarce. I’d hate to interrupt your reports.” A heavy energy filled the room as I brushed past the mysterious character imposing one of my fellow shinobi.

“Yes, I supposed it would be better if you were made scarce.” I turned around, unsheathing my katana and drawing it out towards his throat in a swift motion. ‘Kakashi’ was only two feet behind me, prepared to attack me by surprise. Stone eyes locked on him, my lips a straight line as I retained my calm composure. “You catch on quick,” he chuckled before releasing the transformation jutsu, giving up his real identity. A man stood before me; his long, dirty blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail that stopped at the base of his neck. His dark gray eyes smirked at me, pleased that he had become someone so easily recognizable. “Ryker,” his name flowed off my tongue like a sheet of ice.

“I thought I’d bring the fight to you,” he chuckled. He already knew about our mission to take him down. I wonder how he had figured it out, we had just learned out the mission ourselves. “Your spies aren’t as stealthy as you give them credit for,” the killer snickered, seeming to read the thoughts streaming through my mind. I kept my animosity at bay; the structure of my face staying level as I stared at him. I pressed my blade closer, the sharp metal brushing against the skin on his neck. “You going to try to kill me so soon? You don’t want to fight me?”

“I _want_ to go home and sleep, but it seems I’m stuck with you for the time being.”

“Always so cold?” His metallic eyes narrowed on my still barren face, hoping to elicit some emotional response. He moved with unwavering fluidity, quickly making his way out of the locker-room through the window. I snarled to myself, “ _You know I can’t let you go._ ”

“Oh, goodie! You followed! I was worried I’d have to hunt you back down,” Ryker giggled, clapping his hands as I met him on the roof.

“I’ll never be someone’s prey,” I replied with a monotone voice, showing my disinterest in the assassin. He smirked at me and quickly started weaving his hands. “ _Shit,_ ” I followed suit, getting my attack off first as I moved with more intense speeds than he did. **Fire release: Great Fireball Technique.** I put too much power behind my attack, eager to beat him to the first move. The orb of blistering orange scorched the top of the Anbu headquarters, but nothing set ablaze. I growled as I noticed the wall of water hiding Ryker. “ _Of course, you’re a water nature,”_ I charged the wall, blade positioned in front of me as I breeched through his defense.

“So quick!” He laughed, my blade only piercing the side of his cheek as he quickly dodged my attack. He jumped back, his fingers running over the gash seeping blood down the side of his face. “You’re a natural!”

_“She’s a natural,” Fugaku mused as he watched me preform the jutsu Shisui had taught me. “How long did it take her?”_

_“Two tries. The first time she did that,” he was referencing to the fireball technique I had displayed for Fugaku, “the second time she did it with black flames.”_

_“She’ll be excellent with Itachi.”_

_“Or they’ll try to kill each other,” Shisui chuckled, trying to deflect from the comment. “She’s quite competitive.”_

_“Good, they’ll push one another to progress.” Fugaku finally took his eyes off me, turning to the young Uchiha before him. “Where did you find her?”_

_“The academy. A lot of the kids would pick on her, cause she’s so small. I thought she may just need someone to show her how to stand up for herself.”_

_“She seems like she has it covered.”_

_“Without a doubt,” he smiled in my direction, earning a faint grimace in return._

_“I wonder if she’d eventually be interested in joining the Police force,” Fugaku’s comment was one towards himself, his internal reflections coming to the surface._

_“She wants to be part of the Anbu.” Fugaku creased his brows, interested in hearing more. “She wants an early admission, too. I don’t think she’ll take no for an answer.”_

“You have no idea,” A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. I mimicked the hand signs he had performed, quickly copying his technique. **Water release: Water Wall.** The wave I produced wasn’t as big or as powerful as Ryker’s, but it was enough to get him down to the ground below. I narrowed my eyes as his body had vanished from the roof, quickly making my way to the edge. My upper lip twitched as I observed the earth below, where did he go?

“Got’cha!” He lurched out from the lip of the roof, grabbing the front of my kimono and hurling me off the edge. I growled, rotating myself in mid air to catch my fall, fully prepared for another attack. I crossed my arms in an ‘x’ in front of my face as the top of his foot flew at me. My sandals screamed as they skid along the dirt, my focus in a cold glare as he continued to drive his kick into my arms. I dropped one of my arms, focusing my chakra to my palm as I rammed it into his knee. His limb hyperextended, a popping sound following shortly behind. A manic laugh echoed through the clearing as he landed on the ground, looking down at his limp leg. I stood a few feet across from him, katana drawn once more as I stayed close to the ground. “I guess they call you the Devil for a reason,” he deliberated as he shook his immobile limb. I remained crouched; one leg extended out as my blade was held across me; indigo daggers beamed at him from over the edge of the sword. “Are you mute or something?” Ryker asked with a childish pout, disappointed his commentary wasn’t evoking any response. “Aren’t you going to say _anything_?”

_“Amaya, do you have anything to say?”_

_“No, sir.” I remained kneeled on the ground, staring at the younger Uchiha in the same position next to me. “I’m just waiting to hear my team placement.”_

_“We’ll be keeping you and Itachi together. The two of you will be paired with Shisui. The three of you have yet to disappoint us.”_

_“Hai,” Itachi and I said in detached union._

_I watched as Shisui, Fugaku, and Mikoto praised Itachi once we exited the Anbu council. Every time it felt like I was going to finally one-up him, he came out swinging. I managed to get accepted to the Anbu a year earlier than they normally accepted recruits. Itachi was accepted at the same time; but two years in advance to their normal admission. “You alright, Amaya?” Shisui asked as he came closer, my face dark in consideration as my blood boiled._

_“I’m fine.” His charcoal stare picked up on where my attention was focused. He gave me a half-smile, placing a hand on my shoulder in confidence._

_“Hey, you still got in! Be proud.”_

_“I’m going to become squad leader.” My statement was flat, but somehow full of determination. I would beat Itachi at something, I had to. Regardless of our friendship, there was an unspoken rivalry between us. We constantly worked to best the other, and to my dismay it was always Itachi who wound up on top. _

My lips stayed pursed together, simply waiting for our battle to resume. “You’re just no fun,” Ryker whined, his ashy blonde locks falling to the side of his face as he dropped his head to the side. “But I know how to handle that!” He pulled his own katana from his back, discarding the sheath haphazardly. I slid into a standing position as he charged me, one leg in front of the other as I braced against his push. I glared at him between the clashing metal, his eyes smiling at me with malice. I kicked his already damaged leg, backing away as he dropped to the dirt. I swung the blade over my head and down into the ground where his neck had previously been. “Whoopsies,” the infamous Karasu clan member rocked his healthy leg into my side. I gasped out at the impact, launching across the ground as my previously healing rib now fractured. “Hey, hey! I guess you aren’t untouchable, after all!”

_“_ He’s untouchable,” _I sneered to myself, watching as another punch wafted through the air. I hated training with Itachi, it could never stay as just a training session. It always led to a competition; who was faster, who was stronger, who had the better ninjutsu? Itachi could choke on his ninjutsu; when it came to speed, we were equally matched, but only if I decided to utilize it. I swayed to the side, dodging the kunai that broke my personal space. “Hey! No weapons!” I took a firm stance with my hands on my hips, scanning the tree branches for the cheater. “That was the arrangement!”_

_“That’s not how a battle works,” he said pointblank in my ear. I moved from my hips, my body bending backwards as I escaped the punch he had aimed at my back. I lifted my leg as I spun out from him, my heel digging into his waist. Finally, I got a hit! I kept a neutral face as he tumbled off to the side. His normally expressionless eyes widened, visibly shaken at the fact I had landed one of my attacks. “I think that’s enough for today,” he said coolly, resuming his unphased cover._

I was growing tired of the battle I had originally been eager to accept. Ryker Karasu always intrigued me, simply due to his skills as a shinobi. He wasn’t as remarkable as the boys I had as teammates, but he was still something to be revered. I finally charged him, bored of playing defense the entire time. He grabbed my fist as it shot at his face. He smirked as he realized he’d been duped, his eyes trailed down to the sword protruding through his stomach. The shadow clone in front of him vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving him with the real me. “They taught you the Body Flicker Technique, huh?” He chuckled; a pool of blood conjured at the corners of his mouth. “That’s what I get for underestimating the Uchiha’s pet.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” I hissed, twisting the blade sideways. He groaned as his flesh and muscles tore more from the motion.

“Just one more thing, before you kill me?” I cocked an eyebrow, only to let out a painful grunt a moment later. I retracted my sword from him, drawing it across his jugular quickly before dropping on my knees to the ground beside him. My shaking eyes shifted down to the kunai he had rocked into me, the blade deep enough to have punctured one of my lungs.

~*~*~*~

“Ita- ugh,” I groaned as my insides burned. “Shi- ung,” I growled under my breath as I struggled to call out to them. Only one lung was functioning at full compacity, the other growing weaker and weaker by the minute. The Uchiha compound was closer than the hospital; I knew I could make it there and get some sort of assistance before someone would take me to get proper care. I relentlessly threw kunai and shuriken at Itachi’s house, focused on the area his room resided. I dropped to my knees, unable to take full breaths as I over exhorted my body in effort to get medical attention. I fell chest first into the dirt, my vision wavering as I gasped out. A tired-eyed boy finally peered his head out the sliding door. “Itachi,” I called out quietly from the ground. His head twitched in the direction of my faint cry, spotting me mere momently later. “Amaya!” Itachi was at my side in the blink of an eye, scooping me into his arms with a wary swiftness. “What happened to you!?” I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He could feel the blood oozing into his hands, at least partially answering the question for him.

My eyes fluttered open in a forced roll, causing a sharp pain in the front of my head. Itachi sat in the chair beside my hospital bed, his hands clasped together as he glowered at the floor. “Don’t look so gloomy all the time, it’s depressing,” I weakly spat, unable to keep myself for tormenting him. Itachi’s dark eyes scrolled up to my face, a barely traceable scowl painted on his lips.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?”

“Pretty sure I was trying to live.”

“Amaya!”

“He came after me, alright?” I couldn’t raise my voice, despite my best efforts. “He attacked me first.”

“Why didn’t you come get me, or Shisui!?”

“I knew I could handle him.”

“You could have died!”

“There’s always a chance of death, Itachi. This doesn’t change that.” I looked deep into his black pools; my face stuck in the same hardened expression he projected on me. “It was my turn to take out the target, anyway.”

“You don’t just get to decide to take a mission into your own hands.”

“Why not? That’s what you would do, isn’t it, _squad leader_?”

_I bit at the inside of my cheek as we stood before the Anbu Commander. Itachi and I had been on a team with Shisui for three weeks and they had already determined who they wanted to pick as Squad Leader. I knew it was between the younger Uchiha and I; we strategized, lead, and communicated the most during our missions. We would rotate who oversaw our team; there was no pattern to it, just what felt right. “I’ve decided on your Squad Leader.” Itachi, Shisui, and I all nodded in union, keeping our focus on the man with spikey, brown hair. “Amaya,” my ears turned red as he said my name, waiting to hear the rest of my final victory over the heir. “I know how hard you worked towards this,” my head vaguely nodded as he spoke, my heart rate quickening. “But we believe Itachi is the best choice.” I deadpanned. Of course, it was Itachi. It was always Itachi. _

_“Hai, I understand.” I bowed my head as my canines dug into the flesh of my cheek, tearing a tiny piece of the soft tissue off. Itachi bowed, his hands pressed against his sides. I felt his eyes flicker on me from the side, a touch of pride in his brief glance. Once again, he came out on top in our unspoken rivalry. I wouldn’t accept it. I’d work endlessly to take the title from him. As a friend, I was proud of him; he was a natural at everything he did. As his rival, I was seething._

He abruptly stood up from the wooden stool, turning his stare from me as he made his way for the door. He stopped, his hand dancing over the silver knob as a final thought came to mind. “You can act like you have a heart of stone all you want. _I_ know it still beats.”


	6. Persistence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaya and Shisui finally discuss the likelihood of a relationship. Amaya witnesses a touching moment between her beloved Uchiha boys.

_“Yo! Itachi!” Shisui pushed his body from the bolder he had been leaning again; waving to the raven-haired boy who entered the forest._

_“Who’s that?” I asked, remaining in my seated position atop the mossy bolder._

_“Itachi, he’s my cousin,” Shisui replied with a bright smile, eyes closed. He was clearly fond of the younger boy; it was cute._

_“Hey, Shisui,” the young Itachi greeted as he made his way to the black-clad boy. His soft smile faded as his eyes danced up to me, just as unsure of me as I was him. “Who is that?”_

_“That?” Shisui pointed up to my hunched form, confirming that was the person being questioned about. Itachi simply nodded, still locked on me. I had folded myself at the waist, my elbows reaching below my crossed legs and resting on the cold, fuzzy moss covering my pedestal. “That’s Amaya Ajisaki,” Shisui finally answered, seeing as I had no intention of introducing myself. “She’s a really good friend of mine.”_

_“She’s quiet,” Itachi said in a low tone, as if I’d leap off the stone and attack him for such a comment._

_“Yeah,” Shisui laughed, wrapping an arm around the boy’s shoulder and turning him towards the targets that scattered the trees. “She can be a jerk.” The skin above my brow twitched at his comment, my lips swelling as I fought the urge to make a rebuttal. “Nice to see you didn’t skip the academy today!”_

_I remained on my perch as I watched Shisui and Itachi train together. I was intrigued by the younger of the duo, he seemed so distant and detached from the world. It was hard to tell if he didn’t know how to show emotion or if he was just professionally skilled at keeping them below the surface. He was certainly skilled in his fighting abilities; I had no doubt he was every bit a natural in all aspects, just like Shisui. I admired the older Uchiha, even if he annoyed me to wits end in the beginning. His skill was a spectacle to watch. He was unashamed of who he was, a trait I wished was possible for him to teach me. I smirked as Itachi simultaneously hit the four targets he aimed at, earning a thumbs-up from Shisui. “You’re not half bad, kid,” I called down to him, curious amusement in my glimmering eyes._

_“Ah, so she speaks!” I finally abandoned my post, immediately flicking Shisui on the tip of his nose in retaliation for his comment._

I grumbled as a light stinging sensation rattled in the center of my face. I rubbed at my nose as my lids peeled back to allow me to see who was attacking me. The air caught in my throat as a pair of red orbs beat down on me. “ _You’re in trouble now,_ ” my brain sang as I remained frozen under Shisui’s fury. “Shisui, I-“ he placed his index finger over my lips, silencing me.

“I should rip you apart,” he whispered coldly, his eyes still blistering red. “How the hell could you be so selfish?” My brows creased as I pulled my face away from his hand, my lips turning to a frown.

“Selfish?”

“Yes, selfish!” He hissed, venom dripping from every syllable. He gripped the railings of my bed, pinning me under him. “Do you realize you could have died? And for what? To try to show up Itachi!?” I opened my mouth to say something, quickly abandoning my argument as his head tweaked to the side. “There’s more to life than the petty competition between you two!”

“It wasn’t about our stupid competition!” I spat, unable to sit back and endure his wrath without defending myself. Shisui grabbed the wooden stool by the head of my bed, dragging it to where he stood and taking a seat.

“Then why? Why would _you_ , of all people, be so reckless?” I sighed and wiggled my body, using my arms to help push me upright.

“First, Ryker came to me. He already knew he was going to be a target; he caught our spies watching him. He made it clear he wouldn’t have just let me go without a fight. If I fled, he’d come after me.”

“So, run! Itachi wasn’t too far. I was at your house. You could have made it to either of us.”

“There wasn’t any point. He was supposed to be mine to take down.”

“You make the kill shot, but we still back you up! That’s how it works. That’s how it’s always worked!”

“Why are you so mad at me for this!? I’ve been on solo missions before. I’ve fought danger alone various times. Why is this so different?” He bolted off the chair, grabbing me by the shoulders.

“Because I’m so close!” Shisui’s hands moved up, gently cradling my face in his grasp. “I feel like I finally have a chance with you, and then I almost lose you.” The crimson in his eyes faded, leaving me to the soft darkness I had became so pleasantly accustomed to. “You’re so much more to me than just a best friend. Even if you agree to give me a chance and it doesn’t work, you’ll never be anything less than the girl who made me fall in love.” Silence filled the room, the sound of my heart drumming in my ears. His thumb massaged my cheek as he continued to stare into my soul, patiently waiting for me to say anything in return. I knew I had fallen for him and had been suppressing my feelings in fear of losing him as my closest friend if a relationship wasn’t in the cards for us. I felt guilty admitting my feelings, he deserved so much more than I could offer. I was emotionally stunted, only able to give him brief moments of affecting. He was worthy of someone who would shower him with love endlessly. That was my most selfish trait; deciding what I thought was best for him. He had subtly expressed his feelings for me time and time again, who was I to decide his feelings were wrong and better spent on someone else? Conversely, it felt wrong to subject him to a person who may never be able to outwardly show him the same appreciation. I knew my devotion would never falter, but how much does that matter when you’re unsure of how the person you love feels in return? That’s when it hit me, finally. He had no idea how I felt about him. He had no idea why I was so hesitant to agree to a relationship. I never bothered to open up and tell him. I owed him at least that much, and if he still wanted to try to pursue this afterwards, I’d officially agree to go on a date. “Shisui,” I grabbed his hands in mine, carefully lowering them down to my lap. “When I get out of here tomorrow, I want you to come over. I want to explain to you from my perspective on this topic. And we can go from there, okay?” I expected him to be saddened by my words, I knew my answer still wasn’t what he wanted to hear. My stomach fluttered as he gave me the sweetest, closed-eye smile that had made me confide in him years ago. “I’d like that!”

~*~*~*~

Shisui and I sat at opposite ends of my kitchen table, an awkward tension suffocating the air. Neither of us knew how to start the conversation, this wasn’t something we did frequently. For as long as I’d known the Body Flicker master, he’d always been single. “Should I make tea?” I stared at him dumbfound, not sure if he was sincerely offering to or if it was a desperate attempt to break the stuffy room. “No, that’s alright.”

“Okay, good. I didn’t really want to move,” he chuckled under his breath, breaking his gaze from me. I couldn’t help but to crack a smile in return. My delight ended as I remembered our objective of this visit.

“I’m in love with you.” The statement was blunt, like being hit with a bat rather than passionately sung. Shisui deadpanned at the declaration; he’d waited a lifetime to hear it, but it somehow wasn’t the honey sweetness he had craved. “I’ve never told you because I don’t believe I’m enough for you. I have the emotional range of a tea pot. I’m steaming and boiling over, or ceramic. You are the sweetest, most wholehearted person I have ever met. How could I subject you, my _best_ friend, to that unfairness?”

“You’re not as cold as you think you are.” Shisui laughed, hearing the statement out loud. “At least not with me.”

“The affection I show you is limited. You deserve to be drowned in love and affection. That’s not something I can do.”

“Amaya, you already do that.” His chin swayed to the side as his held tilted with unspoken certainty. “Sure, you don’t express your affection in the most obvious way, but you still show it. You agree to weigh yourself down with guilt, so Itachi and I aren’t subjected to that kind of self-hate and regret. You put our needs and care before your own. Then there are the days I see you with Sasuke,” his eyes fell in blissful admiration, “and I see the typical embodiment of a soulful being. Your patient and kind with him, no matter how annoying and needy he gets, you bare it with a genuine smile. You can be one cut-throat Devil, but that’s the thing. The Devil is an angel, just fallen.” I glared at him with rosy cheeks. I felt conflicted by his statement. The kindness of his words brought me to a pile of mush, but the mention of my cursed nickname sent a chill down my spine. I undeniably understood what he was saying, all-in-all.

“I’m just scared of losing you,” I admitted through searing flesh. “I don’t have anyone else I’m this close with. And before you say it, I know; I’d still have Itachi. But he doesn’t mean to me what you do.” Shisui abandoned his position across from me, opting to sit beside me as the conversation began to unravel into something deep. His hand covered mine in entirety, closing his fingers around my tiny limb.

“I told you, you will never lose me. Even if we didn’t work out as a couple, that won’t change the fact you’re my best friend. I’m not going anywhere, Amaya. Not ever.” I placed my available hand over his, sandwiching his grasp with my slender digits. His face turned to worry, feeling the inevitable rejection coming.

“Then, I guess you better figure out what we’re doing for our first date.” I smiled as sweetly as I could, an unsummoned giggle escaping my lips. A deep laugh of shock shook his chest, releasing my hand and wrapping me in a tight embrace. His lips quickly pecked my forehead, unable to control his excitement.

“I already had it planned out!” He pulled away, keeping his hands on my upper arms as he gave me a sly smirk and a wink, “I knew you couldn’t resist me forever.”

~*~*~*~

“What’cha doing, kiddo?” I asked with a playful smile, peeking my head into the child’s room.

“Amaya!” Sasuke squeaked in delight, jumping to his feet to scurry to me. I giggled and squatted low, allowing him to run between my legs as his arms wrapped around my neck. “I missed you! Itachi said you got hurt. Him and mom were really worried about you.” He tilted his head back to look at me, a confident grin on his face. “But I told them not to worry! You’re too tough to let someone get you bad.” I chuckled and pulled him tighter against me, “You’re my absolute favorite Uchiha, you know that?”

“More than nii-san!?”

“More than _anyone_ else!” He made another childish squeak, digging his face into my shoulder. I truly loved the child; completely, unconditionally. I could be drowning in the horror of my subconscious, clawing for a way to escape the break that was threatening to destroy my mind; and he’d snap me right into normalcy. He finally let go of me, allowing me to stretch my legs out. “So, where is Itachi at?”

“Him and Shisui went somewhere. I was going to go find them. I wanted to play with big brother.”

“Come on,” I held my hand out to him, “let’s go find them.”

“Nii-san!” Sasuke screamed, breaking from me a he darted out of the shadow covered forest. He waived frantically, doing his absolute best to ensure he was seen. I giggled to myself, leisurely following behind the exasperated child. I was too far to hear their conversation, but I vividly saw the look of pure panic on Itachi’s face as Sasuke asked something. I shook my head to myself, “ _Oh lord, what’s he getting into now?_ ” Shisui placed his hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, giving him a sly wink. I growled under my breath, slowly my pace as my cheeks flushed lightly. I finally reached the group as my expression returned to normal, no trace of my crush noticeable. Shisui had crouched down beside Sasuke at this point, his arm draped over the boy’s neck. “We were just talking about which of us is stronger.” Itachi blinked a few times a he heard the conversation unfold. I stood beside him with my arms crossed over my chest, curious to see how this was going to unfold. Shisui glanced over his shoulder at us, “I know I’m a lot stronger than he is. He just won’t admit it.” I looked to Itachi with a smirk, unable to stop myself from watching his disbelief. “You’re strong, but Nii-san is stronger!” I dropped my head back, covering my face with one of my hands to cover the redness of my skin. I held my breath, fighting ever urge in my body to laugh. Sasuke turned to Itachi, his face in a determined scowl. “Isn’t that right?” I turned my still craned neck to look at Itachi, only able to bite my lip as his eyes widened to being so suddenly called out. A small peep escaped my throat as I heard Shisui snickering under his breath. Sasuke marched up to Itachi, fire in his eyes as he provoked his older brother to admit his strength. The redness in my face changed as I caught Shisui admiring the scene, savoring the family moment in his heart. I could feel the heat focused in my cheeks as I watched him; he was wonderful. “Shisui, Amaya,” we both jolted out of our wandering minds, turning our attention to Itachi. “We’re going to head back, “It’s almost time for dinner and we don’t want to be late.”

“Of course,” Shisui answered with a smile. I nodded, remaining silent. Sasuke broke from Itachi’s side, wrapping his arms around my hips as he quickly hugged me goodbye. I chuckled, patting his head in return. “I’ll see you later, little man.”

“Can I spend the night soon? Shisui gets to all the time!” Itachi chuckled under his breath while Shisui lets out a more obvious noise of hilarity.

“Yes, you can. You just let me know when you want to.” Itachi turned and began to walk back towards the forest, forcing Sasuke to run after him. He turned as he grabbed Itachi’s hand, waving back to the other Uchiha boy, “Bye, Shisui!”

“You’re all so adorable together,” I laughed, sitting on a flat rock next to Shisui.

“We’re adorable?”

“Yes, you all have such a cute relationship.”

“Don’t forget, you’re part of our little gang, too.”

“Oh, I know. But it’s the family aspect I’m focused on.” Shisui looked up at the tangerine and ruby sky.

“You’ll be part of it, one day.” My heart skipped a beat at his implication, cheeks beginning to simmer once more.

“You seem confident of that,” I snickered, trying to cover my romantic embarrassment.

“I’m not going to give you up, bet on that.”

“What makes you believe I’d even say yes?” He leaned closer to me, his shoulder bumping against mine.

“You could never tell me no,” he chuckled, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. “I’m persistent.”

~*~*~*~

I jolted out of bed, a crash from my living room startling me from my peaceful slumber. I grabbed my katana from out under my bed, rushing down the hall. I stopped as I saw Shisui standing at the end of my path. The darkness concealed a lot of his details, but I could tell he was holding one of his eyes closed. He seemed tense; something was clearly wrong. “Shisui?” I lowered my weapon, locked in place as he walked up to me.

“I’m so sorry, I was wrong,” he whispered to me in the darkness.

“Why? Wrong about what?” I froze as his lips met mine, a strong scent of copper filling my nose. My hand latched onto his wrist, trying to force him to stay in place. “You’re bleeding, what’s going on?”

“I don’t have time to explain. I need to get to Itachi. Just please, don’t ever forget how much I love you.” His wrist escaped my grip as he wasted no time to kiss me one final time before fleeting out into the cool, night air.

I had regained my composure, snapping myself out of the unforgivable unsettled feeling that was rolling around in my gut. He was saying goodbye, his _final_ goodbye. He was certain he wouldn’t be returning from whatever had found its way to him. I refused to let anyone take him from me, not when we just figured out a path for ourselves. “ _Shisui!_ ” I paused for a moment, watching as he stood across from Itachi with both eyes closed. My focus moved to his feet that seemed to be shuffling backwards, moving dangerously close to the edge of the cliff side. I begged my legs to move, cried for my body to make any movement to advance on him. I continued to stand in place, frozen as Itachi called out his name, desperately reaching for his hand.

He missed.

Shisui vanished over the edge.

Gone in a second.

“Shisui,” I called out in a squeak. Itachi turned around, hearing my feeble noise. “Amaya?” I could see the pain in his own face, the regret of not being able to save his best friend. My knees suddenly gave out from under me, dropping my body on all fours. “Amaya!” Itachi called gain, more urgent as he realized what was happening. He dropped to his knees, skidding across the ground from the momentum that gathered behind his hurried approach. I clawed at the ground, my throat feeling as if it would tear in half from how much I was forcing the pain down. And then he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Shisui!” I cried out again, my lungs bursting as every ounce of air begged for him to come back. I felt Itachi’s fingers recoil some, the guttural wails coming from me piercing his ears. He seemed to freeze, uncertain of what to do as I screamed in agonizing pain, my heart ripping to shreds. He’d never seen me cry; he’d never witnessed a breakdown of such magnitude. My arms wobbled, sliding forward from under me. I dipped my back low as my face fell into the cold dirt, unable to retain any control over myself. I took a deep, sharp breath before another inhuman shriek rattled my throat numb. Itachi suddenly swooped my body from the ground, holding me tightly against his chest as he made his way from the tragic scene. I couldn’t fight him; I didn’t want to. I wanted to melt into the ground and disappear. I could hear his rapid heartbeat in my ear, his own body wrenching inside from having lost his best friend in front of his eyes. Now watching the other person he was closest with, someone who never showed a sign of weakness, crumble before him only making the pain he felt more intensified.

He held me in the darkness of my living room. I stayed curled on his lap with his arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders. I clutched his shirt, my knuckles white from the tension ripping across the skin. There were no more tears to shed, only powerless sobs. Unbeknownst to me, Shisui had disclosed to Itachi quite some time ago that physical contact soothed me; leaving behind the perfect tips to ease my broken self. I stayed with my face in his chest, now calmed, but with rigid breath. “We’re going to find them,” I whispered to Itachi, asserting our vengeance for our fallen comrade. “Yes, we are,” he whispered back. I felt a wet drop against the back of my neck, Itachi’s chest tightening. “I’m going to kill them,” I whispered with a coldness that would strike fear in the heart of God himself. 


	7. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi and Amaya agree to spend time with Sasuke after neglecting his after Shisui's death. The two Uchiha boys plan for a sleepover at the kunoichi's home.

_“Yo!” I slowly looked up from the textbook I was studying. A boy with black hair and matching eyes stood in front of my desk, a bright grin on his face. “I’m Shisui!”_

_“Hm,” I let my focus drop back to my studies, uninterested in conversating. He placed his hands over the pages as he leaned closer towards me._

_“What’s your name?” He asked with a polite smile, trying to encourage a dialog between us._

_“Go away,” I demanded flatly, snaking my book from out of his grip. He took the book from me, closing it carefully and tucking it under his arm. “I’m Shisui Uchiha,” he greeted again, this time adding his full name. “You seemed like you could use a friend.”_

_“I truly could not.”_

_“Aw, you’re no fun!” He leapt onto the desk, sitting in the middle of it with his legs crossed. “I’m going to make you smile at some point, and then we have to be friends.”_

_“I don’t think that’s how friendship works.”_

_“Well, how would you know? It’s not like you have any.” I tried to fight the smirk his snarky comment elicited, but I couldn’t hold it. He laughed, slapping his hand over his thigh as my expression became warmer. “I knew I’d get through to you!”_

_“Don’t get too excited. I never agreed to be your friend.”_

_“We’ll see about that!”_

_~*~*~*~_

_I stood at the window in my living room, disassociating as I became trapped in my own mind. My half-lidded glare reflected in the glass, revealing just how desolate I had become. Today, I took my first life during one of our missions. It was a true life-or-death situation, and I refused to lose a teammate so early in my career. I’d aim to keep my team around until my last breath; it was fine if I went before them. There was no family waiting for me to return home. No one to worry if I vanished from the Earth. Tears wouldn’t be shed over the loss of a girl everyone knew as the Devil. A pair of hands grabbed my waist, lifting me from the floor with ease. I thrashed as I realized my feet had left the ground, only stopping as my body was dropped into his lap. “What are you doing?” I asked with a rigidity, my body freezing at the contact. “You looked sad,” Shisui whispered with a concerned softness, wrapping his arms around me. There was a slight tug at my heart as he embraced me, a comfortable warmth that started in my gut. I relaxed into his arms, resting my head against his shoulder as I slowly melted. The muscles in my face loosened, taking me from a bleak scowl to something more neutral. “I guess you like to be cuddled,” Shisui chuckled, taking note of the almost immediate change in my demeanor. “Shut up,” I whispered, digging my face deeper into him as I continued to enjoy the sudden closeness._

_~*~*~*~_

_“Isn’t this a little,” I looked at the bouquet of sunflowers and red roses being presented to me, “much?”_

_“What? Of course, not! It’s your birthday!” I carefully grabbed the mass of flower stems, accepting the gift. I dragged my watery pools from the gift, looking up at the ecstatic Uchiha in front of me. “Did you get Itachi something?”_

_“What?”_

_“Did you get Itachi a gift?” I repeated, tilting my head ever so slightly. “His birthday is in seven days.”_

_“Oh,” Shisui chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck as he took in the dates. “I forgot to. But, that’s okay! I still have time!” I smiled softly, shaking my head at him. How could he remember my birthday, but forgot about is favorite cousin’s?_

_~*~*~*~_

_“That’s not fair!” Shisui whined, glaring at Itachi. The younger Uchiha ate the piece of taiyaki shamelessly, only shrugging at his cousin in response._

_“I only had that little bit left!” I retorted, trying to ignore Shisui’s cries of being left out._

_“You lie! I saw the other piece in your bag!” I smirked. He caught me, nosy little brat. Shisui crossed his arms over his chest, giving me an exaggerated pout as he waited for me to cough up his treat. I sighed and pulled my little bag off my back, fishing the little cake out and tossing it to him. “Crybaby,” I muttered under my breath as he tore into the dessert._

_~*~*~*~_

_“You know, you can’t blame yourself forever.” I looked over at the boy who had stolen my heart. We sat on the edge of the cliff, staring down at the river his body was lost in. “I’ll blame myself forever. If I had ran faster, if I hadn’t frozen up; I could have saved you.”_

_“There was no saving me, love.” His hand covered mine, trying to reassure me of his statement. “I was poisoned. I would have died anyway.”_

_“No, you wouldn’t! I have poison in my body naturally! I could have removed it from you. At worst, I’d have gotten sick for a few days.”_

_“You don’t know that, Amaya. What if it killed you?”_

_“So, what if it did!? At least you’d still be here!” I could feel my chest tighten as I positioned my hand on top of his, gripping him as tight as I could manage without harming him. “No one would miss me if I was gone, not like they do you.”_

_“Well, that’s not very fair to say. How do you think I would feel, knowing you gave your life for mine? How do you think Itachi would feel, losing his favorite rival? What about Sasuke? He adores you, just as much as he does Itachi.”_

_“It doesn’t matter!” I screamed out into the void of the cavern below us. “ You deserved so much more! You were so sweet and so pure. You didn’t deserve your fate.” His hand reached up, gently rubbing his thumbs under my eyes to wipe away the tears that had started to fall. I wrapped my hands around his, keeping his palms pressed against my cheeks. “I’m going to find who did this to you. They will pay for their crimes.” _

_“There’s stronger forces involved than you know.”_

_“I don’t care if I have to take on the entire world. I’ll cut down every person involved. I’ll burn the earth to ash. You will be avenged.”_

I opened my eyes, my entire body shaking as I continued to be haunted by his memory. A few months had passed since Shisui’s suicide and it still tormented me as if it was the first night all over again. Itachi and I had grown significantly closer, trying to fill the void Shisui left with the other person. I don’t know how he felt, but for me it didn’t seem like much help. Shisui was my first love, and I waited until his time was nearly expired to finally tell him. We never even made it around to our first date. I never told Itachi, or anyone for the matter, about Shisui and I’s brief relationship. There was no point; it was cut down the moment it started to sprout. I readied myself for the day, Itachi and I had promised Sasuke we would play with him today. I felt guilty, since the Shisui incident we had grown distant of the youngest from the Uchiha trio. I’m sure he felt as if he did something wrong, the innocent little babe.

I paused my trek towards the Uchiha compound, a stale coldness wafting through the air. I looked across my shoulder to the dense forest lining the path. My breath caught in my throat as I saw him, immediately ripping a kunai from the pouch on my leg. The ghost of a man snickered, slithering closer to the light encompassing the walkway he strayed from. “The Devil,” he hissed with delight, his gold eyes following my defensive form up and down. “What a surprise to be led to you.”

“What do you want?” I asked with a blunt tone, far from interested in his games. A breeze caught his jet-black locks, blowing it free from the chin-high cloak he was adorned in.

“I sensed something powerful nearby and came to investigate. In truth, I expected to find Itachi Uchiha.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” I sneered, drawing the helm of the blade tighter in my hand.

“Not in the least,” he hissed through his teeth. “I’m quite curious about you.”

“Piss off, snake shit.” I didn’t lunge at him, even as my body screamed to take on the vile Akatsuki member. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who the paper-white man before me was. Orochimaru. I saw his name in the Bingo Book; anyone with sense knew who he was.

“Why do they call you the Devil? Is it because you’re cold, turned hard from the world around you? Or are you just naturally as bloodthirsty as they claim? I’ve heard you cut through men like a knife does butter.”

“Want to find out?” My malice filled glare locked on him, fully prepared to engage in a battle I wasn’t interested in having today. My nostrils flared as his tongue shot out of the darkness, charging at me like a furious enemy. My natural instincts kicked in, unable to respond fast enough on my own intuition. My chest heaved as I watched his tongue flail against the tree it had been pierced to. A long, black tail with a barbed triangle at the end had sliced through the slick muscle, rendering it useless as it was pinned. Orochimaru’s eyes grew in surprise and curiosity. He certainly hadn’t planned for my nickname to hold any literal truth to it. “ _Disgusting,_ ” I scoffed mentally, retracting my tail from his injured muscle and letting it morph back into my skin. I crouched into a battle stance, ready to focus on my target and handle this fight without any mutant appendages. The second his tongue recoiled back; he was gone. “Fucking perfect.”

~*~*~*~

I stayed perched on top the wooden poll, watching the scene before me unfold. I was too far to hear everything being said. Itachi followed the three men outside, the subtle shaking in his body alerting me to the gravity of whatever situation was unfolding. My nerves jumped as his body language progressively became more hostile, his pent-up anger unraveling. “Pull it together, Uchiha,” I quietly begged, almost prepared to get involved. I could faintly hear Fugaku call his name as he made his way to the scene. Itachi ignored the presence of his father, only growing more agitated. “Damnit, Itachi. _Come on_ ,” I begged, resting my elbows on my knees as I kept my body crouched low. “Stop it!” A voice pleaded. My head snapped in the direction of Sasuke’s voice, my instinct to protect him flaring like a firework in the sky. Itachi calmed on sight of the young boy, dropping to his knees. My heart steadied in my chest as he finally stood down. Fugaku looked up at me as he followed Itachi back inside the house. He had known I was there the entire time; I knew in my heart he did. I stood up, saluting him with my middle and index finger before jumping down. I waited a few minutes before approaching the house, also certain Fugaku wouldn’t expose me for watching Itachi crumble.

“Amaya!” Sasuke cheered as I walked inside. “Hey, kiddo,” I chuckled with a wink, affectionately resting my hand on his head as he hugged me. Fugaku and I locked eyes, but I couldn’t read him. Usually his face held the famed stoic expression of the Uchiha’s, but his eyes spewed with revulsion and distrust. This time he seemed indifferent, at best. I broke my visual connection with him, focusing on the child at my legs. “Where’s your brother? We made a promise for tag with you today.”

“He’s in his room,” Sasuke said quietly, almost somber.

“You head outside. I’ll get him and we’ll play, alright?” He perked up a bit, sprinting towards the back of the house. “Is it okay with you?” I asked Fugaku. He knew full well what I was going to confront the hardened prodigy about.

“Go ahead. Maybe you can get through to him.”

“What’s up with you, Uchiha?” I slid the door closed behind me, leaning against it with my arms over my chest.

“Nothing, I’ve been waiting for you to show up.” His voice was flat as he played coy.

“Don’t pull that shit with me. Fugaku knew I was there, I know you did, too.” He stayed silent; his back turned towards me as he faced the outside wall of his room. “Look,” I lowered my voice as I cautiously moved closer to him. “I know something is going on with the clan.” He whipped around with crimson eyes; his lip curled in a small scowl. I put my hands up in defense, trying not to reignite his temper.

“How?” He seethed, more than unhappy with even the faint knowledge I’d gathered on the situation.

“You think I didn’t pick up on all the secret meetings between you and Shisui? The half sentences you would talk in together, as if I couldn’t read between the lines. What the hell is up?”

“I promise, whatever you know is too much already.”

“Alright, say you’re right. Which, I will, because you’re hardly ever wrong.” The slight brush at his ego seemed to brighten him up the fraction of a bit. “What’s up with _you_? You’re getting colder, shutting me out more frequently. I’m worried about you.” He didn’t seem to register my progressed position on him, until I grabbed his hand with mine. “I lost one of you already, I can’t handle that a second time, Itachi.” His expression assuaged as I referred to him by his first name. His head lowered as he accepted my touch and worry for him. “I’m sorry, Amaya. Please, forgive me.”

“Eh, no need to apologize.” I tapped his shoulder playfully with the back of my hand. “It’s going to take a lot more than a temper tantrum to run me off.”

~*~*~*~

“Nii-san! Tell her that’s cheating!” Sasuke cried as he continuously jumped, his tiny fingers just out of reach of my foot. Itachi chuckled from a few branches above me, “You’ve got to try harder, Sasuke.” I smirked up at Itachi, giving him a playful wink before sliding forward just enough to finally be in reach. Sasuke squeaked at his hand gripped the front of my shoe, “I got you!” He tugged on me, ‘pulling’ me out of the tree. I caught him as he jumped up to pounce on me, chuckling at his increased weight. I hadn’t noticed how much he was starting to grow up. “You’re it now, Amaya! No tag backs!” I laid him on the ground next to me, looking up at the tree tops I had just escaped from. “I’m coming for you, Uchiha!” Itachi darted from the tree, landing on the opposite end Sasuke and I were on. “Oh, I don’t think so!” I laughed as he started to flee the area. No way in hell was he going to beat me in tag, too. Before I knew it, we were running at top speed through the Uchiha estate; Sasuke abandoned in their backyard until we returned. I pushed myself a little harder, launching my body through the air and tackling Itachi to the ground. “Ha! You’re it!” I exclaimed, looking down at the raven-haired boy under me. I tilted my head to the side, shooting him a stern look as I noticed the pink hue across his cheeks. I quickly scrambled to get off him and stood up, glowering down at him. “No.” I said harshly, immediately trying to shut down his possible feelings.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t –“

“No,” I repeated, locking a serious frown at him.

“What happened!? Did you outrun her, Nii-san!?”

“Nope, she got me this time,” Itachi chuckled awkwardly, avoiding the irritated aura radiating from me. I refused to gracefully accept his apparent crush. I was still reeling over the loss of Shisui, I didn’t have to emotional availability to deal with something new. I didn’t even _want_ something new; I wanted what I lost. “Amaya,” Sasuke’s voice pulled me from my irritability.

“Yes, Sasuke?”

“You promised me I could stay the night a while ago. Can I sleep over tonight?”

“Oh,” his request caught me off guard. “Sure, love. Ask your par- “

“Mom!” Sasuke sprinted into the house, not bothering to wait to hear the rest of my request; he knew what I was going to say. Itachi and I stood in a thick, silent tension as we waited for Sasuke to return. “I can spend the night!” He cheered, throwing a tiny fist in the air as he jumped off the low, wooden walkway. “Nii-san, you should come too! That way the three of us can play at Amaya’s!”

“Oh, um,” Itachi shifted his dark uncertainty to me.

“Is that what you really want, Sasuke?” I asked, knowing full well his answer wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I could never say no to him.

“Yeah!”

“Alright, then I guess you’ll both be staying the night.” Sasuke wrapped his arms around Itachi and I, radiating pure bliss at the thought.

“We’ll come over in an hour or so, okay?” I nodded to Itachi, still not quite ready to talk to him.

~*~*~*~

“Shisui would have kicked your ass,” I growled to myself as I tidied up my little apartment for my incoming guests. I overreacted to Itachi blushing; my emotions getting the better of me. My nerves had been flayed since the incident, making me much more prone to outbursts. I knew Itachi blushing didn’t mean he had any romantic feelings towards me; a pretty girl fell on top of him. Had the roles been reversed I probably would have done the same thing. Three taps echoed from my front door, signaling Itachi and Sasuke had arrived. “It’s open!” Sasuke hurried into the apartment, his feet quietly padding across the ground as he practically skipped to me. Itachi followed him, carrying a small bag. I motioned for Sasuke to wait on the couch for me. I placed a hand on Itachi’s chest, pushing him into the kitchen. I moved my hand from his chest, looping my arm around the overnight bag and sliding it up my shoulder. “Look, I need to talk to you about earlier.”

“Alright, but is it okay if we do it later?” I cocked my head, waiting for more information to be given. “I have a few things I still need to do at the house, but Sasuke was too excited to wait until I was done. Can we talk when I come back later?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” He bowed his head lightly in gratitude. He silently waved to Sasuke before exiting the house. I turned on my heels, folding my upper body some as I gave Sasuke a wide, white smile that seemed to dazzle with enthusiasm. “You ready to have some fun!?”


	8. Survivors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi breaks Amaya's heart.

“Amaya,” a soft voice whispered. Tiny hands pawed at my upper arm, trying to shake my body awake. “Hm,” I grunted, slowly forcing my eyes to open. Sasuke was kneeling in front of me, his wide eyes still holding a drowsy droop in them. I groaned and sat up, looking around the now dark apartment. “God, is it nighttime already?” I stood up from the couch, walking into the kitchen to check the clock on the stove. “It’s 9:30pm!?” I turned to Sasuke, “Is Itachi here?”

“No. I woke up a couple minutes ago. He’s still not here.” I could see his lower lip quiver, upset his brother had stood him up. “Alright, don’t get upset. We’ll go get him. He probably fell asleep like we did.”

I held Sasuke’s hand as we walked through the quiet darkness of the village. The silence was oddly peaceful, only hearing the crickets sing their song to Mother Nature. The soft breeze in the summer air kissed at my face, finally forcing me to accept the reality of the soul shattering silence in the air. I stopped walking as we reached the gates for the Uchiha compound, my blood running cold. The air was thick, a sense of dread washing over me like a thousand pounds. My nostrils burned, the copper scent so strong the taste danced across my tongue. Sasuke picked up on my mortified expression, sensing something was horribly off for himself. “Sasuke,” I called in a quiet, sharp bark as he inched closer to entering the estate. He paused as I called him, the sternness in my voice foreign to him. I ran my hand over my face, squeezing at my temples as my fingers dragged across the soft flesh. I held my and out to the child, keeping a secure grip on him as he accepted my touch. “You stay _right_ by my side, unless I say otherwise. Got it?” He nodded, his large, dark eyes already brimming with tears. “ _You better be alive,_ ” I threatened Itachi mentally, refusing to accept the possibility he could be the one behind the slaughter. Sasuke kept his body nearly glued to the side of my leg as we hurried towards his house, eager to check on his family and brother. I stopped outside, hearing a faint conversation flowing from the room. I held Sasuke in front of me, my hands gripping his shoulders from running in. My breath caught in my throat as I heard Fugaku and Mikoto whisper their goodbyes, holding on to the love and admiration for the would-be heir. “Take care of Sasuke,” was the last request I heard roll off Fugaku’s lips before a thud hit the wooden floor. I unconsciously released Sasuke, allowing him to charge the murder scene. I stood outside, shellshocked; listening to the young boy scream over the lifeless bodies of his family. I seemed to blackout, my body running cold, my hearing turning to white noise. A few moments later a breeze passed me, Sasuke leaping from the house as he tried to chase the gust of wind. All senses kicked in as I saw the tiny figure drop like a sack of flour; completely immobile. My eyes grew dark as my face twisted in sheer rage. I spun on my heels, venom spewing from every pore as I stared at Itachi. “Don’t touch him,” I hissed through clenched teeth, charging at him and covering the limp body from the clan killer. I snarled at him, standing chest-to-chest with him; no fear to hold me back.

“I don’t want to hurt him. I’m _not_ going to hurt him.”

“What the fuck did you do!?”

“You wouldn’t understand, but I need you to do something for me.”

“Like hell I will!” My voice dropped low as I continued to hiss from the back of my throat, as if yelling would draw attention.

“I need you to take care of Sasuke for me.”

“Well, you sure as hell aren’t going to be. What kind of piss poor request is that?” Itachi didn’t respond, his dark eyes desolate as he stared at me. I felt my heart ache, unable to attack him due to our shared bond. I wanted to rip him apart, feel his insides squish under my grasp; his warm blood cover my body. But all I could do was glare at him with a hatred that burned hotter than the sun. “Get the fuck out of here.” He nodded, his blood splattered body radiating calm and collectiveness I had grown to find comforting. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let them think you just let me escape.” Before I even had the chance to question him further, his blood-soaked katana pierced clean through the soft portion of my shoulder; the blade sliding all the way through the other side. My body didn’t even attempt to form a scream, my eyes only widening in response. My fist immediately connected with his jaw in response. The attack took him by surprise, his own face twisting in a mix of shock and pain. I knew I at least hairline fractured his jaw in return. A sudden animosity fell between us, no longer registering the other as someone who could be trusted.

~*~*~*~

“Sasuke! Come on, kiddo! You’re going to be late for the academy!”

“I’m coming!” Sasuke rushed into the kitchen, trying to finger brush his disheveled hair in place. I chuckled as I watched him scramble to grab his school bag, grab a piece of toast for breakfast, and get his shoes on all at the same time. “Let’s go!” He squeaked breathlessly, shuffling for the door. “Nu-uh, you’re going to be late if we walk. Hop on,” I crouched down to allow him to jump on my back. “You ready?”

“Mh-hm,” he nodded, securing his grip around my neck. I dashed out the front door, keeping a tight grip on his legs as I zipped through the village. My eyes narrowed as the academy came in sight, “ _Almost there!_ ” I smirked as a burst of wind whipped around the classroom as I leapt through the window just as the final bell rung. Sasuke dismounted from my back and slid into his seat, giving me a small smile. I smiled back, giving Sasuke and Iruka a two-finger salute before vanishing out the same window I had entered through.

~*~*~*~

“Any updates?” I asked as Kakashi entered the locker room. I unclipped the vest clinging to my chest, allowing me to breathe easier without the light-colored material squeezing me.

“Yes, that’s actually what I was coming to discuss with you.”

“Should this conversation be held in private?”

“I’d say so, at least for your sake.” I nodded my head once, closing the locker and allowing Kakashi to lead me to one of the office spaces. I looked around with dull eyes before taking a firm seat on top the desk. Kakashi remained standing, his frown noticeable from under his mask.

“What’s the news?” I hunched over, my slender fingers wrapping under the handle of the drawer and opening it. The semblance of a smirk pulled the corner of my mouth as a piece of chocolate sat on top of the paperwork crammed inside the little cubby. I gingerly closed the wooden drawer, deciding I didn’t want to relive any fond memories. They had all been tainted, anyways.

“He’s joined the Akatsuki.” The words danced around my brain, suffocating my thoughts as they strung together in a miserable knot.

~*~*~*~

“Amaya, we’ve requested your audience as we have a proposal for you.” I kneeled before the council of Anbu members, my indigo eyes locked on the bamboo floors below me. I remained silent as I waited for them to continue, not dignifying their vague statement. “We’ve agreed to instate you as squad leader.” A bitterness nipped at my tongue as my stomach dropped to the floor. The position I had so diligently fought for; something I had spent _months_ trying to snatch from Itachi. The opportunity was finally being gifted to me on a silver platter, no one to challenge the honor. “I cannot accept,” I finally answered, keeping my burning eyes facing the ground.

“What?” One of the other members asked, giving me the opportunity to change my answer.

“I cannot accept this position.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t believe I have proved myself worthy of such a title. I will not accept a title due to my teammates no longer being around to claim it for themselves.”

~*~*~*~

Sasuke was the only thing keeping me from crawling inside myself and disappearing. Even with his company, I had never felt so alone in my life. My two best friends were gone; one sacrificed himself in attempt to better a cold world, the other turned into a monster I couldn’t stomach to think about. I requested to be kept up to date on his status for my own selfish reasons. I prayed to run into him, I wanted to finish what we had started the night he slaughtered the Uchiha clan. I wanted to shatter his jaw, grind every bone in his body to dust. I truly hated him. The aftermath of the situation was starting to reflect on Sasuke. While he was still the same bubbly child around me, he grew colder and more distant of others. I made him a promise the night he had everything taken from him; I would help train him. I would care for him as if he was my own. I would love him unconditionally. But most importantly, we would get through this.

We would survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~*~*~ Author Note ~*~*~
> 
> From here we'll be going right into book 2 of the series! I'm sorry if this book was shorter than everyone wished, it was mostly a prologue for the big one coming next. I didn't want to short the characters history together; I felt it deserved it's own story. 
> 
> ~*~*~ Note End ~*~*~


End file.
